Backpage
Elizabeth Nolan Brown | 11.25.2024 11:55 AM
Backpage co-founder Michael Lacey has been released from prison on bail, following a federal court ruling last Thursday. Lacey is in the process of appealing his conviction on one count of international concealment money laundering, for which he has been sentenced to five years in federal prison. Under the court's recent ruling, he may now wait out the resolution of that appeal a somewhat free man.
This is clearly good news for Lacey, who had been in federal custody since September 11. It's also good news for anyone who cares about free speech and about justice, considering the complete civil liberties nightmare that Lacey's prosecution has been. (See Reason's recently released documentary about the whole saga—"Classified: The War on Backpage.com"—for more.)
Unfortunately, Lacey's former colleagues Jed Brunst and Scott Spear will remain behind bars as their appeals play out. Lacey,........