Hacktivist Who Leaked the Steubenville Rape Video Faces 10 Years in Prison as Culprit Walks Free

Remember that awful case in which a couple of high school football stars in Steubenville, Ohio, raped a young girl? Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond were brought to justice thanks to an anonymously hacked cellphone video that revealed the teenage victim was in fact unconscious at the time of the crime.

But in a twist that goes to show how thankless activism can be in our society, Deric Lostutter, the 26-year-old former Truthdigger of the Week responsible for leaking the harrowing clip, is facing a longer prison sentence than the violators themselves. The moral here is that when the NSA hacks into our devices to “fight terrorism,” it’s an act of patriotism but when a civilian attempts to expose injustices, it’s a crime punishable with 10 years in prison.

To add insult to injury, Richmond has recently been released from a juvenile detention center for “good behavior” merely months after being convicted. The Political Blind Spot blog reports:

The Richmond family released a statement, following the release, which focused on how hard the past 16 months have been for Ma’Lik. The attorney for Ma’Lik’s rape victim noted there was no apology made to her in that statement.

“Although everyone hopes convicted criminals are rehabilitated, it is disheartening that this convicted rapist’s press release does not make a single reference to the victim and her family — whom he and his co-defendant scarred for life. One would expect to see the defendant publicly apologize for all the pain he caused rather than make statements about himself. Rape is about victims, not defendants. Obviously, the people writing his press release have yet to learn this important lesson,” attorney Robert Fitzsimmons said.

The mass media have been more sympathetic toward the rapists than the victim from the get-go, with outrageous statements spewing from news outlets like CNN, which harped on and on about the teens’ “bright futures” being destroyed by the conviction. Now the justice system’s warped priorities have also come to light as prosecutors try to lock up Lostutter for his courageous attempt to right a wrong.

—Posted by Natasha Hakimi