The leader of a nonprofit representing the Haitian community of Springfield, Ohio, filed criminal charges Tuesday against former President Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, over the chaos and threats experienced by the city since Trump first spread false claims about legal immigrants there during a presidential debate.
The Haitian Bridge Alliance invoked its private-citizen right to file the charges in the wake of inaction by the local prosecutor, said their attorney, Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland-based Chandra Law Firm.
“Their persistence and relentlessness, even in the face of the governor and the mayor saying this is false, that shows intent,” Chandra said. “It’s knowing, willful flouting of criminal law.”
Criminal and civil courts are separate and have different rules. Civil is for something like if your landlord rips you off, a contract isn’t honored, or someone slanders you.
Criminal is like murder, fraud, etc. Not all criminal stuff is as serious as murder, but the burden of proof is higher and the penalties can be more severe (like jail time or even execution).