The founder of the Memphis chapter of Black Lives Matter has been sentenced to six years in prison for illegally registering to vote.
Pamela Moses, 44, was found guilty of illegally registering to vote in Tennessee back in November. She was sentenced to six years and one day in prison on Monday.
Moses maintains that she was unaware that she was ineligible to vote. She pleaded guilty to two felonies and three misdemeanors in 2015. The felony convictions render her ineligible to vote in Tennessee again.
She says that no one ever told her that she would not be allowed to vote again. In addition, her local county board of elections failed to remove her from the voting rolls.
Judge Michael Ward accused Moses of deception while handing down her sentence.
“You tricked the probation department into giving you documents saying you were off probation,” the judge said, according to The Washington Post.
The Tennessee Department of Corrections had filled out and signed a certificate confirming Moses’ probation had ended.
Moses’ attorney, Bede Anyanwu, said they intend to appeal the sentence.
“She believes the sentencing was beyond the evidence that was presented,” he said.
