"US Government Pursues Fines for January 6 Rioters' Donations"

The US Justice Department is seeking to impose fines on top of prison sentences to offset donations from supporters of the Capitol rioters. Prosecutors are increasingly asking judges to impose fines on defendants who have set up online fundraising appeals for help with legal fees. Most of the fundraising efforts appear on GiveSendGo, which has become a haven for January 6 defendants barred from using mainstream crowdfunding sites. The justice department has questioned where the money is really going because many of those charged have had government-funded legal representation. So far this year, prosecutors have sought more than $390,000 in fines against at least 21 riot defendants, in amounts ranging from $450 to more than $71,000.