Legal Report: Canada Sentences Man to 10 Years for Violent Racist Propaganda
Security Management’s Legal Report is a monthly column that highlights the instances where legal matters intersect with the security industry. Our team tracks court cases, new and evolving legislation, and regulatory decisions and investigations that impact private organizations and security professionals worldwide.
To share a tip or notify Security Management about emerging legal issues, email Associate Editor Sara Mosqueda at [email protected].
Judicial Decisions
Canada
Terrorism. The Ontario Superior Court sentenced Patrick Gordon MacDonald to 10 years in prison for actively encouraging violence against Jewish people and other groups with terrorist propaganda.
The court convicted MacDonald of creating and editing three recruitment videos for the Atomwaffen Division (AWD), a listed terrorist group. The videos, as well as other violent images, encouraged viewers to commit violence on behalf of the AWD and glorified Nazi leaders. The group supports a violent accelerationist ideology—using terrorism against minority groups to fuel a race war.
MacDonald had already served three months before the trial, so the total sentence was reduced to nine years and nine months. Federal prosecutors asked that the court force him to serve at least half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole, but the court refused the request because MacDonald had “renounced his racist and violent white supremacist beliefs, has apologized to the court,” participated in a counselling program for two years, and while on bail volunteered to help minority immigrant groups that are predominantly African American, Arabic, or Muslim, according to court documents. (R v. MacDonald, Ontario Superior Court of Justice, No. 2025 ONSC 4716 / CR-23-11404535, 2025)
United States
Worker fraud. A federal court sentenced a woman to 102 months in prison for her involvement in a worker fraud scheme.
Christina Marie Chapman previously pled guilty to charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. The scheme she was involved in helped North Korean IT workers posing as U.S. citizens and residents ultimately secure remote IT positions at 309 U.S. companies.
The efforts to secure U.S. employment for North Koreans leveraged false, stolen, or borrowed identities of U.S. citizens, generating more than $17 million in illicit revenue for both Chapman and North Korea. Some of the 300 impacted companies included a major television network, a technology company, an aerospace manufacturer, an American car manufacturer, a luxury retail store, and a U.S. media and entertainment company. This conspiracy tried but failed to gain employment at two different government agencies. Altogether, the conspiracy compromised the identities of 58 U.S. citizens, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Chapman’s involvement, which ran from October 2020 until October 2023, included operating a laptop farm—keeping computers from the U.S. companies at her home, tricking these organizations into believing that the work was done within the United States. She also supported the efforts to build the false identities and shipped nearly 50 laptops and other items from the companies overseas, including to a city in China on the border with North Korea, the DOJ said.
The judge ordered Chapman to pay a judgment of $176,850, as well as the forfeiture of $284,555.92 that was to be paid to the North Koreans. She will undergo supervised release for three years upon release from prison. (United States v. Christina Chapman, et al., U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 24-cr-00220, 2025)
Background checks. A federal appeals court ruled that a California law requiring buyers of rifle ammunition to pass a background check is unconstitutional.
The law, which was originally approved in a 2016 ballot initiative (and was later enacted in 2019), ordered that anyone buying ammunition must pass a background check—similar to the vetting process for those wanting to buy a handgun.
The lawsuit was filed in 2018 by Kim Rhode, six other California residents, three out-of-state ammunition vendors, and the California Rifle and Pistol Association. They argued that the law infringes upon the Second Amendment right to bear arms by preventing unlicensed, out-of-state ammunition vendors from selling ammunition to California residents, as the law stipulated that ammunition sales required an in-person background check.
The Ninth Circuit’s panel of judges ruled 2-1 in favor of the plaintiffs, upholding a lower court’s decision.
“By subjecting Californians to background checks for all ammunition purchases, California’s ammunition background check regime infringes on the fundamental right to keep and bear arms. Because California’s ammunition background check regime violates the Second Amendment, the district court did not abuse its discretion in granting a permanent injunction,” according to the majority opinion. (Kim Rhode, et al., v. Rob Bonta, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, No. 24-542, 2025)
In August, California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, filed a petition for an en banc rehearing from the Ninth Circuit, delaying the court’s decision from taking effect.
Data privacy. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a settlement with Chinese robot toy manufacturer Apitor Technology.
The FTC was investigating allegations that the company was illegally collecting the location data of U.S. children under the age of 13 who were using an online app to operate the programmable robot toys.
According to the commission, since at least 2022, the company collected children’s location data without parental consent or awareness. The toys—which are sold through online retailers like Amazon and marketed to children ages 6 to 14—could be remotely controlled by a user through a companion app, which included Chinese third-party software that collects precise geolocation data.
While not admitting or denying the allegations, Apitor agreed to pay a $500,000 civil fine for previous violations and delete collected geolocation data unless a user’s parents gave express consent. The company will also be subject to compliance monitoring for 10 years. (United States v. Apitor Technology, U.S. District Court for California’s Northern District, No. 25-cv-7363, 2025)
Legislation
Japan
Gambling. A revised law against gambling took effect on 25 September, with an amendment that not only bans new online casinos from Japan, but also any online advertising for these casinos, even on social media.
The amended version of the Basic Act on Countermeasures Against Gambling Addiction (No. 74 of 2018), which was approved by the nation’s parliament in June 2025, also bans online casinos formatted as smartphone apps.
Both “national and local governments shall take measures necessary to promote education and learning about gambling addition issues at home, school, workplace, local community, and other places, as well as to disseminate knowledge about gambling addition through public relations activities…so that the public can deepen their interest and understanding of gambling addiction issues and take the necessary precautions to prevent gambling addiction,” according to a translated version of the law.
U.S. States
School shootings. Effective as of 1 September, a new Texas law requires law enforcement agencies throughout the state to establish crisis response policies.
HB 33, also known as the Uvalde Strong Act, was authored by Rep. Don McLaughlin (R-Uvalde). It mandates that local law enforcement meet annually with school districts to assess emergency operations plans, resources, and abilities. Law enforcement and emergency responders must also complete training on responding to active shooters at primary and secondary schools.
Vaccinations. In Idaho, the Medical Freedom Act (S.B. 1210) bans organizations, including public schools, from mandating medical procedures and treatments like certain vaccinations. Unless required by federal law—such as when a traveler must receive a medical treatment to enter another nation—employers are banned from making medical interventions a condition of employment.
Regulations
Canada
Money laundering. In late August, the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) fined the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) $1,175,000 CAD ($844,257 USD) for failing to comply with the nation’s anti-money laundering regulations.
According to the center, SIGA failed to submit reports about suspicious transactions when there were “reasonable grounds” that certain transactions were tied to money laundering or terrorist activities. It also allegedly failed to create and implement written policies and procedures that would support casinos’ compliance with the regulations.
SIGA, which operates seven casinos throughout the Saskatchewan province, maintains that the fine is due to administrative reporting requirements and that its properties are devoid of financial crimes.
Also of Interest
Security Management follows court cases, bills, laws, and regulatory issues that impact the security industry. Here are some of the developing stories that are of current interest.
Censorship. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a new amendment that punishes citizens for searching for or accessing content that the government labels as “extremist,” with the fines ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 rubles ($37 to $62). Academic, legal, or journalistic reasons for accessing or searching for such content are not exempt. The law also criminalizes the use of or ads for VPNs that would allow Internet users to access the “extremist” information. The definition of what constitutes extremist material is extremely broad, including groups like the Anti-Corruption Foundation.
Employment discrimination. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation into George Mason University, attempting to determine if the Virginia school is involved in allowing racial or sex discrimination to influence its employment decisions. “The investigation stems from statements and policies made by the university’s president, which indicate that race and sex are motivating factors in faculty hiring and other employment decisions to achieve ‘diversity’ goals,” according to a statement by the DOJ.
Extremism. Authorities arrested Michael Gann for allegedly placing several bombs around Manhattan. A grand jury indicted Gann, who expressed anti-Semitic and anti-immigration views, for attempted destruction of property by means of explosives, transportation of explosive materials, and unlawful possession of destructive devices.
School shooting. A county court judge ruled that Jeffrey Rupnow, the father of a Wisconsin school shooter, will face charges alleging that Rupnow allowed his daughter access to the guns used in the attack. Rupnow will stand trial for intentionally giving a minor a dangerous weapon and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 18 years in prison. In December 2024, Rupnow’s daughter, Natalie, killed a teacher and a 14-year-old student, injured six other people, and then killed herself at the religious school she attended in Madison, Wisconsin.
Social media. Set to go into effect in December 2025, Australia plans to restrict children under the age of 16 from using social media platforms like Instagram, X, TikTok, and more. However, authorities have not yet finalized how social media companies can comply with the new law, nor what constitutes a violation.
Wrongful death. A former Columbus, Ohio, police officer who was convicted of murder is appealing the verdict. In July, Adam Coy was convicted of murdering Andre Hill, a Black man who was holding a cell phone and a set of keys at the time of his death in December 2020. Coy maintains that his actions were justified and in line with his training.
