Threatening Rap on YouTube Lands Two in Jail
By Kevin Parrish, published on November 27, 2009 at 7:40 PM
" Two YouTube rappers are serving jail time for making threats against specific law enforcement officers.
This week a lawyer representing a Canadian woman over Facebook pictures and insurance benefits said that Internet users need to be aware that anything posted online is out there for all to see. With that in mind, two young Massachusetts men should have heeded those words, as they now face possible jail time for making public threats on YouTube.
24-year-old Mathew Rufino of New Bedford and 28-year-old Jason Foley of Fairhaven created a threatening rap video and uploaded it to YouTube. Unfortunately, the two were no longer protected by Free Speech when they actually mentioned the names of a probation officer and a state trooper. The duo also sported guns and threw in noises of "a firearm discharging," elevating the video to a potentially threatening level, perhaps even a possible crime.
"When you view the brazenness of the threats in a post-9/11 era, it certainly poses concern and we didn't wait,'' said New Bedford Police Lt. Jeffrey Silva. According to The Boston Globe, the two rappers were located and arrested last weekend and appeared in court on Monday. The court judge ordered that the due remain behind bars until a hearing scheduled for next Monday that determines if they will remain in jail.
Foley's mom chimed in to the whole ordeal, claiming that her son was no threat, and that he had hoped the video would catch the eye of a would-be producer. "They didn't think anything was wrong with what they did," she said.
Sure they didn't, mom. "
Source: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/YouTube-...news-5208.html
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