Name: Taylor Taranto sentenced to time served for Obama threat
Uploaded: 2025-10-30T23:28:16.029Z
Duration: 3 min 38 s
Description: Taylor Taranto has been sentenced to time served plus 36 months of supervised release after being convicted of threatening former President Barack Obama. He was also pardoned on Jan. 6 Capitol rioting charges by President Trump earlier this year.

Taylor Taranto has been sentenced to time served plus 36 months of supervised release after being convicted of threatening former President Barack Obama. He was also pardoned on Jan. 6 Capitol rioting charges by President Trump earlier this year.

Washington

Taylor Taranto was sentenced to time served and 36 months of supervised release after being convicted of threatening former President Barack Obama. The conviction stemmed from illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, as well as a false bomb threat outside Obama's Washington, D.C. home. 

Taranto had already served more than the 21-month prison term imposed, leading to his immediate release. The case also involved unusual developments, including the removal of two prosecutors after references to January 6th and former President Trump's social media post were included in the original sentencing memo.

Taylor Taranto sentenced to time served for Obama threat

We begin with breaking news, Taylor, Toronto has been sentenced to time served plus 36 months supervised release after being convicted of threatening former President Obama. He was also pardoned on January 6th capital writing charges earlier this year. So CBS News legal reporter Katrina Kaufman joining us live now to talk more about this. What exactly was Toronto convicted of and explain the judge's decision. So what Toronto was convicted of was illegal possession of guns and ammunition. Essentially he was found live streaming outside of former President Barack Obama's house in Washington D.C. Police ended up finding guns and ammunition in his car that was illegally possessed they say and the car they said also caused a false bomb hoax. The police ended up coming to what they thought was a potential bomb threat outside of Obama's house. Significantly this happened on the very same day that now President Donald Trump had posted an address that he purported to be Obama's Washington D.C. home. Toronto then on that very same day drove to Obama's house he had also reposted that address as well. In addition he was found guilty of false information and hoax charges that was related to a video he posted a day earlier where he said he was on a one way mission to blow up the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Maryland. Now he has been given 21 months in prison but he had already served more than that. So essentially this is time served. He's also getting three years of supervised release. And part of what the judge said is he cited his lack of criminal history in giving him this more lenient sentence. But it is important to note that he is one of over 1,500 people affiliated with January 6th who was given clemency by President Trump. Right. On top of that there's the behind the scenes. The DOJ filed a new sentencing memo Wednesday. This was shortly after placing two prosecutors whose names appeared on the original sentencing memo on leave. What can you tell us about that? This was very unusual. So there was first a 14 page memo filed with the sentencing recommendation from the prosecution. But that memo included references to January 6th as well as to President Trump posting now a former president Barack Obama's address the same day that this incident occurred with Torento. Now those prosecutors were then taken off the case. A new memo was filed. It was only 12 pages and those paragraphs had been deleted from the memo. According to our correspondent Scott McFarlane, the two prosecutors who were taken off the case were actually sitting in court today watching the proceedings. And the judge made a comment about them. He said that they did an excellent and commendable job on the case. It was some of the best work that he's seen with the highest standards of professionalism. Now the new prosecutors who have been assigned to this case have asked for a week to make arguments because they want that initial memo sealed. Scott McFarlane also said that U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro was asked about the scrubbing of the sentencing memo, why it happened. She wouldn't answer directly and she said the papers speak for themselves. She also wouldn't comment on those two prosecutors being taken off the case. Katrina Kaufman. Katrina, thank you.

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