Christopher Cantwell, known as 'The Crying Nazi,' sentenced to 41 months in prison on extortion charges

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Christopher Cantwell, known as 'The Crying Nazi,' sentenced to 41 months in prison on extortion charges
Cantwell got his nickname from posting a video of himself crying after learning he was going to be arrested.Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
  • Christopher Cantwell, known as "The Crying Nazi," was convicted on a felony charge.
  • The Keene, New Hampshire, man was sentenced to 41 months in prison.
  • Cantwell's nickname comes from a video he made following the 2017 Unite the Right rally.
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Christopher Cantwell, who was dubbed the "The Crying Nazi" following the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally, was sentenced to 41 months in prison on Wednesday after being convicted on charges of extortion and threatening rape.

The conviction stemmed from a 2019 incident in which Cantwell threatened to rape a man's wife if he didn't provide him with the identity of his white nationalist group leader.

Cantwell wanted the man to reveal the real name of Vic Mackey, the pseudonym of a member of a supremacist group known as the Bowl Patrol who he believed was harassing him.

"So if you don't want me to come and f--- your wife in front of your kids, then you should make yourself scarce[.] Give me Vic, it's your only out," Cantwell said, according to court records seen by Insider.

Cantwell faced a maximum of 22 years in prison, but during sentencing, his lawyers argued that he'd already "lost his home, his employment, and ownership of the website that bears his name," and deserved a more lenient sentence.

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Cantwell, of Keene, New Hampshire, was featured heavily in Vice's 2017 documentary on Charlottesville.

He later posted a YouTube video of himself crying in reaction to the news that he was to be arrested on charges stemming from the rally.

"I'm armed. I do not want violence with you, all right?" he says, in reference to the police. "I'm terrified you're going to kill me."

The video went viral and earned him the nickname "The Crying Nazi."

Cantwell reportedly cried during his sentencing, too.

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In 2018, he pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and battery after he pepper-sprayed two people during the Charlottesville rally.

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