Daniel Kauble was sentenced Thursday to two years of probation and six months of suspension — meaning he will serve jail time if he violates probation — for operating a parody account on X, formerly known as Twitter, impersonating University of Iowa Police Department detective Ian Mallory. 

With dozens of supporters for both Kauble and Mallory packing the courtroom, the proceedings were moved to a larger space on the courthouse’s third floor to accommodate the crowd.

Kauble’s initial charges — one count of third-degree harassment, one count of identity theft under $1,500, and one count of tampering with a witness or juror — stemmed from an account he created on Feb. 8, 2024, one day after Mallory testified as a witness in a criminal trial. 

According to the criminal complaint, Kauble used Mallory’s personal information without his knowledge or consent to create the X account @IanMallory4Iowa. He created posts mocking Mallory and criticizing his handling of the case in which he had recently testified, the complaint states.

A temporary no-contact order was issued against Kauble on July 15, barring him from contacting or posting about Mallory.

On Oct. 25, 2024, Kauble was charged with 21 counts of contempt for violation of a no contact order for making posts throughout August and September on another parody account with the handle @IanMallorymemes.

Before Judge Brandon Schrock read the sentence, Kauble’s attorney Gina Messamer requested a sentence of deferred judgement. 

Addressing Schrock, Messamer acknowledged that Kauble’s online behavior crossed a line but stated his behavior stemmed from Kauble’s passion for LGBTQ+ rights and his concerns about Mallory’s role in the charges brought against seven transgender individuals following a protest on the UI campus last October.

“[Kauble] is somebody who cares a lot about these issues and got carried away,” Messamer said, adding that Kauble has since worked with a therapist to better channel his emotions surrounding perceived injustice.

She added that while the First Amendment protects free speech, there is a fine line between acceptable expression and going too far — one that Kauble acknowledges he crossed.

“I have spent a lot of time thinking about my actions and how to better stand up to transphobia in the future,” Kauble said at the sentencing hearing Thursday.

RELATED: Iowa City man was arrested after parodying a police detective on Twitter

Kauble also expressed regret for taking his criticisms of Mallory’s work as a police officer to a personal level by posting tweets, which he described as jokes, about those close to Mallory.

According to court documents, Kauble’s tweets from two separate Mallory parody accounts were largely critical of what he perceived as systemic transphobia within the UI Police Department and Mallory’s role in it.

Mallory, however, saw Kauble’s actions as more than harmless satire, describing in his victim impact statement the emotional toll the tweets took on him and his family.

“The defendant did everything he could to scare me,” Mallory said.

Mallory said Kauble’s tweets from the parody accounts instilled fear in both him and his family.

“I will confess I have nightmares about Daniel Kauble coming to my house and setting fire to it while me and my family slept,” Mallory said.

While the prosecution remained silent when asked for a sentencing recommendation, Mallory concluded his statement by urging the judge to sentence Kauble to 30 days in jail.

“Incarceration will send a message to others that there will be accountability,” Mallory said.

After hearing from Kauble and Mallory, Schrock said Kauble’s case has been on his mind for several weeks and he does not take the sentencing lightly. Acknowledging his belief that Kauble genuinely cares about the groups of people he supports, Schrock called Kauble’s involvement of Mallory’s family in the posts alarming.

“The sentences we impose have to send a message and teach people lessons,” Schrock said.

Addressing Kauble, Shrock said he hopes Kauble spends his two years on probation to prove he has learned from this — knowing that six months in prison is “hanging over his head.”

“It’s that reflection I think you need to have,” Schrock said.

As part of Kauble’s plea deal, the identity theft, harassment, and multiple contempt charges for violating the no contact order were dropped. Kauble pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness or juror, an aggravated misdemeanor.

Schrock extended the no contact order, prohibiting Kauble from posting about or contacting Mallory for five years.