Hunter
01/31/20
The Federal Communications Commissions is proposing nearly $13 million in fines for a man who used the death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts to spread white nationalist rhetoric using robocalls.
The Daily Iowan reports that the FCC identified Scott Rhodes as the one making the robocalls, manipulating caller ID information to make it look like the calls were coming from a local number. It’s a violation of the Truth in Caller ID Act.
The DI adds that Rhodes has been identified as a Nazi sympathizer.
Rhodes allegedly targeted Tibbetts’ hometown of Brooklyn Iowa first, making over 800 robocalls in August 2018. Members of the Tibbetts family were among those who received the calls.
In the FCC statement, chairman Ajit Pai said that the calls contained inflammatory messages and a woman’s voice intended to impersonate Mollie Tibbetts saying “kill them all,” referencing to illegal Mexican aliens.
Rhodes also is accused of making robocalls in five other states in 2018.