A motorcyclist is facing 16 years in prison on the absurd charge of wiretapping, for posting a video of his arrest he recorded on his helmetcam on YouTube.
Facing prison for filming US police
Graber, a sergeant with the Maryland Air National Guard, is now facing 16 years in prison, not for dangerous driving, but for a Youtube video he posted after receiving a speeding ticket.
The video, filmed with a camera mounted on Graber's motorcycle helmet designed to record biking stunts rather than police abuse, shows a plain clothes officer jumping out of an unmarked car and pointing a pistol at the motorcyclist.
It does not portray the policeman in a positive light.
After he posted the video on Youtube, police raided Graber's home, seized computers and put him in jail.
Graber has been charged with illegal wiretapping and faces 16 years in prison. How recording a video on a public roadway using a helemcam in plain sight can be construed as Illegal Wiretapping boggles my mind.
Watch the "wiretapped" video below.
If I had been riding that recklessly on a crowded freeway (I never have nor would I) being arrested if caught would come as no surprise.
It looks more like the Maryland Police and Prosecutor are out to screw over an elusive speeding motorcyclist who embarrassed them on YouTube. Are American Police above scrutiny the same way Iran's Beji are? Can an American Prosecutor throw a citizen in prison and throw away the key on a capricious charge the same way an Iranian Ayatollah can?
Photography is not a Crime
Can you record a cop making an arrest?