Anti-Semitic Rants Support Man Accused of Twitter Assault
Anti-Semitic views are expressed by dozens of people rushing to pay legal bills for a Maryland man just arrested for allegedly sending a social media image that caused a nationally known journalist to have an epileptic seizure.
Best-selling author and journalist Kurt Eichenwald, who is epileptic and has been a frequent critic of Donald Trump, suffered a sudden seizure in December when he opened an animated tweet with a flashing strobe light image that said:聽 鈥淵ou deserve a seizure for your post.鈥�
His wife found him on the floor of his home office, called medics and responded to the sender 鈥淍jew Goldstein鈥�:聽 鈥淭his is his wife.聽 You caused a seizure. I have your information and have called the police to report the assault.鈥�
The Dallas Police Department immediately began an investigation, calling in FBI agents who specialize in cybercrimes, public documents say.
Strobe lights are a known trigger for people who suffer from epilepsy.
Steven Lieberman, Eichenwald鈥檚 lawyer, has said a strobe light in a GIF-embedded tweet, or moving graphic, is akin to sending an explosive or poison in the mail.
鈥淭his electronic message was no different than a bomb sent in the mail or anthrax sent in an envelope,鈥� Lieberman told , where Eichenwald once worked as a reporter. 鈥淚t triggers a physical effect.鈥�
Eichenwald, now a senior writer for Newsweek who has publicly discussed his medical condition, was incapacitated for days. He lost feeling in his left hand and had trouble speaking for several weeks, his lawyer said. His neurologist blamed the onset of the seizure on the flashing strobe in the Twitter message.
On Friday, the FBI arrested John Rayne Rivello, 29, at his home in Salisbury, Md. He was indicted earlier in the week in the Northern District of Texas, charged with criminal cyber stalking with the intent to kill or cause bodily harm. If convicted, Rivello could be sentenced up to 10 years in prison.
Charging documents alleged that Rivello knew Eichenwald suffered from epilepsy and that a flashing strobe could trigger an epileptic seizure. Proving 鈥渋ntent to commit a crime鈥� is an essential component for a successful prosecution.
A day after sending the flashing strobe gif via Twitter, Rivello鈥檚 iCloud account shows Eichenwald鈥檚 Wikipedia page was altered to include a fake obituary, laced with anti-Semitic comments, court documents alleged.
Rushing to his defense, a woman identifying herself online as 鈥淏ecky Barnes鈥� set up a fund-raising site, describing Rivello as a friend and former Marine who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
鈥淔or months now, John Rivello has been swamped with legal fees so his friends are starting this bounty in the hopes to ease the financial burden,鈥� Barnes wrote.聽 鈥淚f this goes to trial, it will redefine 鈥榯rolling鈥� and what it means to troll online.鈥�
As of today, the site shows $10,375 had been raised for Rivello.
But many aren鈥檛 just sending money, they鈥檙e filling social media with anti-Semitic comments directed at Eichenwald. And at least 40 other people also have re-sent the strobe-light tweet to him.
One Twitter user wrote: 鈥淵ep, this disgusting Jew is trying to ruin a man鈥檚 life for sending him a [Twitter] gif. How [is] this even an offense? My anti-Semitism got 10ft higher.鈥澛�
Another called on President Trump to come to Rivello鈥檚 defense: 鈥淛ew Goldstein is innocent 鈥� did nothing wrong. @POTUS must not allow anti-Semite Kurt Eichenwald to get away with this.鈥�
Still another called Rivello 鈥渁 hero鈥� and used the anti-Semitic 鈥渆cho鈥� image ((())).
We won鈥檛 let (((Eichenwald))) get away with this!聽 Donate!!!鈥澛犅�
