Left-Wing Prosecutor Dropped Prior Felony Gun Charge Against Michigan State Shooter

Ingham County prosecutor Carol Siemon ended mandatory sentencing for felony firearm charges in the name of ‘race equity’

If he had not been convicted of felony gun offenses and had them dismissed by a progressive prosecutor, a gunman who shot five people at Michigan State University Monday would have been prohibited from possessing a firearm at that time.

Anthony McRae, who was accused of illegally carrying a concealed gun without a permit in June 2019, was later acquitted by Carol Siemon (D.). McRae was instead convicted of a lesser misdemeanor gun offense by her office. He served less than one year probation which ended May 20,21. McRae was initially facing up to five years imprisonment for the felony offense. Detroit News reported.

Siemon retired from the prosecutor’s office at the start of this year after facing criticism from Judges Police officers For her soft-on crime policies. The same year that McRae was released, ​​Ingham County sheriff Scott Wriggelsworth pushed East Lansing’s city council “to reconsider her internal felony firearm charging policy,” He said this. “does not hold people properly criminally accountable, and increases the likelihood of additional gun violence.”

Siemon made it her office’s official policy in August 2021 to drop mandatory prison sentences for felony firearms charges. She claimed that sentencing was an important factor in the sentence enhancement. “dramatic racial inequity” Was “not in any way linked to the goal that we share of keeping the public safe.”

Siemon is part of George Soros’s vast public safety network. She Participated In international Reforms in criminal justice Other “reform-minded” prosecutors like Philadelphia’s Larry Krasner (D.), Chicago’s Kim Foxx (D.), Los Angeles’s George Gascón. She supported Chesa Boudin (D.), a radical San Francisco prosecutor, in an effort to recall him from office.

The Ingham County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement that McRae’s 2019 offense would not have received “the legal maximum” Even if they pursued it, they could still be sentenced to prison.

“Even if he were convicted by a jury of the original charge, Anthony McRae would not have been recommended for a jail or prison sentence,” According to the office. “The sentencing guideline score would have been the same if he had been convicted of either the original charge (Carrying a Concealed Weapon) or the offense for which he was convicted (carrying a firearm in a vehicle).”

McRae was later declared dead by a self-inflicted gunshot injury.

Jason Johnson, President of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund says that he believes these are good ideas. “progressive prosecutors such as Ms. Siemon continue to value reducing the incarcerated population over their duty to protect the public by enforcing the law.”

In 2021, the Vera Institute for Justice, a think tank funded by Soros’s Open Society Foundations, also praised Siemon and other reform-minded prosecutors pledged to reduce racial disparities when prosecuting. Siemon proudly spoke of the improvements she had made to her office in November, when she announced her retirement.

“I believe we have made substantial progress to reform the justice system and provide for a proportionate response to criminal charges,” She . “We have changed the prosecutors’ office’s charging and sentencing practices, to provide a greater range of options to hold people accountable for the harm they cause while reducing incarceration, and continuing to serve victims and to expand their services and support.”

However, a Michigan circuit court judge had already called her out for making Lansing safer with her policies. “She is not a legislator, she is not a judge, and she is making our community unsafe,” Rosemarie Aquilina, Judge.

Siemon’s successor, John Dewane, has already set about toughening up charges for repeat offenders, according to Interview He did so with WKAR.

“My number one goal, and I put out some policies with regard to this issue, is the increase in gun violence in our community, specifically the Lansing area,” He stated.

Dewane said that Free Beacon After publication “McRae would not have been able to legally purchase, own, or possess a firearm” If he had “been convicted of carrying a concealed weapon.” Reports Show McRae was heard firing his gun in the backyard at his father’s Lansing home by neighbors.

Update 2/15 at 11:45 AM: This article has been updated with additional information.