A West Virginia man, Cody Lee Smith, 20, who admitted making online threats against US President Donald Trump, faces a maximum prison sentence of five years for that offence. Yet the same defendant could receive up to 10 years for threatening officers with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The apparent disparity has prompted widespread discussion, since many assume that threatening the president carries the harshest punishment available under federal law. Instead, the case highlights a key feature of the US legal system: maximum penalties depend on the specific statute prosecutors use, not the prominence of the intended target.
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