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Identifying Trump rioters

Tuco

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PhillyD

PhillyD 1246

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Posted
12 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

Bruno Joseph Cua, a Georgia man who was 18 at the time he allegedly stormed the Capitol along with scores of other Donald Trump supporters angry over the results of the 2020 election, appeared before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Tuesday. He indicated that he was considering representing himself, and also said that he wanted to settle the case — all while repeating what sounded a lot like “sovereign citizen” talking points.

On Monday, Cua’s lawyers Jonathan Jeffress and William Zapf had filed a motion to withdraw as counsel.

“Recently, the attorney-client relationship between counsel and Mr. Cua has become irretrievably broken due to a fundamental disagreement regarding legal issues and a course of action,” the motion said. The lawyers said that providing additional details would violate attorney-client confidentiality, but noted that Cua had consented to the motion and had indicated to the lawyers that he “wishes to proceed pro se at this time.”

Moss, a Barack Obama appointee, started the hearing by listing several filings from Cua that were apparently the lawyers’ motion to withdraw.

“Those are not recognized pleadings,” Moss said. “I’m not quite sure what to make of those, but we need to decide how to proceed. Let me ask Mr. Cua: is your dissatisfaction with your current counsel, or with any counsel? In other words, are you looking for a new lawyer, [or] do you want to represent yourself?”

Cua, appearing by video, did not directly answer Moss’ question.

“Good morning, Your Honor,” Cua said. “I’m here by special appearance, not a general appearance,” he continued, echoing fellow Jan. 6 defendant Pauline Bauer, who had memorably told the judge in her case, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, that she was appearing in his court by “special divine appearance.”

Those are fairly standard statements for followers of the “sovereign citizen” movement, which relies on conspiracy theories and misinformation to justify adherents’ apparent belief that they are exempt from U.S. law.

During a back-and-forth between judge and defendant, Moss tried to clarify what Cua meant, to no avail.

“I don’t know where you found this material, but I have no idea, frankly, what you’re talking about,” Moss eventually replied, after Cua repeated his “special appearance” statement.

“Let me ask you a question: do you want to have a lawyer in this case, or do you want to represent yourself?”

Cua repeated some of his talking points, and then asked: “What need is there for an attorney?”

Moss told the defendant that if he wanted to represent himself, the judge would need to have a separate hearing in order to ensure that Cua was making the decision to go pro se knowingly and voluntarily, after having been informed of the risks.

Moss then ran down the list of charges against Cua, including obstruction of an official proceeding, which carries a potential 20 year prison sentence, and engaging in violence in a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly and dangerous weapon, which is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.

“Those are really serious charges, and before you make a decision you want to proceed on your own, which would be unwise … you have a constitutional right to do so, if that’s what you want to do,” Moss said.

He then proposed an in-person hearing, noting that he was “not inclined to do that by video conference given the importance of the decision.”

“I’m not here to testify,” Cua said when Moss asked when he could appear in court. “How may I settle this today?”

Moss warned Cua that if he didn’t answer his questions, he would send the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest him and bring him to Washington for a hearing.

“We’re not playing games here,” Moss said. “I don’t know who’s feeding you this stuff. It’s nonsense.”

“You can’t represent yourself if you’re not capable of answering a question of the Court,” the judge added.

“Let the record reflect I have repented of my sins,” Cua said as the back-and-forth continued.

“If you don’t answer my question I’m going to have to order you to be arrested,” Moss said, again asking Cua when he can come to Washington for a hearing.

After taking a brief break to talk with his lawyers, Cua had an answer.

“Judge, the end of next week would be the best,” he said.

Moss set a hearing for July 28. He told Jeffress and Zapf that he would hold off on ruling on their motion to withdraw, and then turned to Cua.

“In the meantime, Mr. Cua, if you’re unhappy with the representation by Mr. Jeffress and Mr. Zapf, I would urge you to talk to another lawyer just to get a second opinion,” Moss said, adding that he could appoint an attorney for Cua if he wanted advice on whether to have a lawyer at all.

“I cannot impress upon you enough the seriousness of this decision, given the gravity of the charges against you and the difficulty of representing yourself,” Moss said.

“In the end it’s going to be your decision whether you want to do that or not,” Moss added. “It’s a really important decision [and] I want to make sure you have all the information.”

Cua is, as Moss described, accused of multiple felonies, including fighting with a plainclothes police officer while using a baton.

In a filing from March 2021 opposing Cua’s release from pretrial custody, prosecutors say that he was also seen “sitting atop the Senate dais, in the chair previously occupied by former Vice President Mike Pence, with his feet up on a the desk.”

“Other CSPAN footage shows the defendant documenting paperwork from a Senator’s desk on his cellphone,” prosecutors added.

Prosecutors also note Cua’s allegedly extensive social media posts, including a Jan. 8, 2021 missive on the right-wing website Parler that “[t]here will be no ‘warning shot’ next time.”

Moss did agree to release Cua from custody in March 2021 after Cua tested positive for COVID-19. The court docket shows that on May 5, 2022, Moss modified Cua’s conditions of release to remove location monitoring.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You mean to tell me that the letter he wrote to the judge in March of 2021 in which he said he had learned his lesson wasn't sincere??  Shocker.

REDACTED 210304Cua.statement to judge.pdf - Google Drive

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I am doing my job with this cunt. Seriously, fuck her. She fucked around, and she is sure as shit finding out.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45233

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1 hour ago, Gil Bang said:

Bruno Joseph Cua, a Georgia man who was 18 at the time he allegedly stormed the Capitol along with scores of other Donald Trump supporters angry over the results of the 2020 election, appeared before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss on Tuesday. He indicated that he was considering representing himself, and also said that he wanted to settle the case — all while repeating what sounded a lot like “sovereign citizen” talking points.

On Monday, Cua’s lawyers Jonathan Jeffress and William Zapf had filed a motion to withdraw as counsel.

“Recently, the attorney-client relationship between counsel and Mr. Cua has become irretrievably broken due to a fundamental disagreement regarding legal issues and a course of action,” the motion said. The lawyers said that providing additional details would violate attorney-client confidentiality, but noted that Cua had consented to the motion and had indicated to the lawyers that he “wishes to proceed pro se at this time.”

Moss, a Barack Obama appointee, started the hearing by listing several filings from Cua that were apparently the lawyers’ motion to withdraw.

“Those are not recognized pleadings,” Moss said. “I’m not quite sure what to make of those, but we need to decide how to proceed. Let me ask Mr. Cua: is your dissatisfaction with your current counsel, or with any counsel? In other words, are you looking for a new lawyer, [or] do you want to represent yourself?”

Cua, appearing by video, did not directly answer Moss’ question.

“Good morning, Your Honor,” Cua said. “I’m here by special appearance, not a general appearance,” he continued, echoing fellow Jan. 6 defendant Pauline Bauer, who had memorably told the judge in her case, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, that she was appearing in his court by “special divine appearance.”

Those are fairly standard statements for followers of the “sovereign citizen” movement, which relies on conspiracy theories and misinformation to justify adherents’ apparent belief that they are exempt from U.S. law.

During a back-and-forth between judge and defendant, Moss tried to clarify what Cua meant, to no avail.

“I don’t know where you found this material, but I have no idea, frankly, what you’re talking about,” Moss eventually replied, after Cua repeated his “special appearance” statement.

“Let me ask you a question: do you want to have a lawyer in this case, or do you want to represent yourself?”

Cua repeated some of his talking points, and then asked: “What need is there for an attorney?”

Moss told the defendant that if he wanted to represent himself, the judge would need to have a separate hearing in order to ensure that Cua was making the decision to go pro se knowingly and voluntarily, after having been informed of the risks.

Moss then ran down the list of charges against Cua, including obstruction of an official proceeding, which carries a potential 20 year prison sentence, and engaging in violence in a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly and dangerous weapon, which is punishable by up to 10 years behind bars.

“Those are really serious charges, and before you make a decision you want to proceed on your own, which would be unwise … you have a constitutional right to do so, if that’s what you want to do,” Moss said.

He then proposed an in-person hearing, noting that he was “not inclined to do that by video conference given the importance of the decision.”

“I’m not here to testify,” Cua said when Moss asked when he could appear in court. “How may I settle this today?”

Moss warned Cua that if he didn’t answer his questions, he would send the U.S. Marshals Service to arrest him and bring him to Washington for a hearing.

“We’re not playing games here,” Moss said. “I don’t know who’s feeding you this stuff. It’s nonsense.”

“You can’t represent yourself if you’re not capable of answering a question of the Court,” the judge added.

“Let the record reflect I have repented of my sins,” Cua said as the back-and-forth continued.

“If you don’t answer my question I’m going to have to order you to be arrested,” Moss said, again asking Cua when he can come to Washington for a hearing.

After taking a brief break to talk with his lawyers, Cua had an answer.

“Judge, the end of next week would be the best,” he said.

Moss set a hearing for July 28. He told Jeffress and Zapf that he would hold off on ruling on their motion to withdraw, and then turned to Cua.

“In the meantime, Mr. Cua, if you’re unhappy with the representation by Mr. Jeffress and Mr. Zapf, I would urge you to talk to another lawyer just to get a second opinion,” Moss said, adding that he could appoint an attorney for Cua if he wanted advice on whether to have a lawyer at all.

“I cannot impress upon you enough the seriousness of this decision, given the gravity of the charges against you and the difficulty of representing yourself,” Moss said.

“In the end it’s going to be your decision whether you want to do that or not,” Moss added. “It’s a really important decision [and] I want to make sure you have all the information.”

Cua is, as Moss described, accused of multiple felonies, including fighting with a plainclothes police officer while using a baton.

In a filing from March 2021 opposing Cua’s release from pretrial custody, prosecutors say that he was also seen “sitting atop the Senate dais, in the chair previously occupied by former Vice President Mike Pence, with his feet up on a the desk.”

“Other CSPAN footage shows the defendant documenting paperwork from a Senator’s desk on his cellphone,” prosecutors added.

Prosecutors also note Cua’s allegedly extensive social media posts, including a Jan. 8, 2021 missive on the right-wing website Parler that “[t]here will be no ‘warning shot’ next time.”

Moss did agree to release Cua from custody in March 2021 after Cua tested positive for COVID-19. The court docket shows that on May 5, 2022, Moss modified Cua’s conditions of release to remove location monitoring.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Willfully Horn

Willfully Horn 7892

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On 7/21/2022 at 2:28 PM, Fastbreak said:

There are a lot of fucking insane people. When the Rs defunded pretty much all of mental health (for reasons) I dint think they thought it through.

An extra hundred in their pocket AND the opportunity to bitch about, and feel superior to, the mentally ill? For Rs that’s a win/win. They will accept schools full of dead kids for that tradeoff. 

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 30851

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On 7/21/2022 at 2:16 PM, HenryJames said:

 

It's weird, sure enough, but not wildly offensive.  I know his lawyer, Clint Broden, and he's a good guy and probably vetted that one.

I wonder what he did to get 227 days of solitary.  Given that it's discredited as punishment, it tends to be used only for those who struggle in general population, ie protective custody.  So he must have been getting in fights or something.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25690

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A man facing charges in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot may have violated the conditions of his bond last month by attempting to have an overseas shipment of knives and axes delivered to his Ladera Ranch home, according to federal prosecutors.

Russell Taylor, 41, is charged with conspiracy, obstruction, entering and remaining in a restricted building, and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. He is currently under house arrest.

Taylor is among several Orange County residents, including former La Habra Police Chief Alan Hostetter, who are accused of participating in the Capitol riot to block votes certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

Taylor is seeking permission to remove a GPS ankle monitor that he maintains is causing excessive leg swelling and painful lesions, according to a motion filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court.

The FBI learned on June 21 that a pair of knives and axes shipped from a foreign vendor were en route to Taylor’s home in possible violation of his bond conditions prohibiting him from possessing firearms, destructive devices or other weapons, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a motion.

“Given that the content of this cargo shipment appears to constitute a violation of that condition, the government now respectfully notifies the court of the potential violation,” prosecutors said. “The government has also reported this information to the probation department.”

Additionally, Taylor claims in a motion he canceled the delivery of the axes and knives that he asserts were intended to be given away as prizes to winners of four-wheel drive road rallies sponsored by a company that employs him.

“Mr. Taylor never had any intention to own or keep these items,” the motion says. “They were strictly and only to be given to people, other than Taylor, at the pending events.”

Taylor’s attorney, Dyke Huish, said Friday the government’s contention about the canceled shipment is inconsequential. “On first blush, it looks inappropriate, but when it was investigated it was cleared up completely,” he said. “It was a misunderstanding. It’s not an issue.”

Taylor could not be reached for comment.

The federal grand jury indictment alleges Taylor allegedly joined rioters who were pushing through a line of law enforcement officers. Taylor also is accused of carrying a knife in a vest pocket and urging the rioters on before pushing through a police line and upstairs in the Capitol onto a terrace.

Prosecutors say Taylor on Jan. 5 posted a photo on an encrypted messaging service showing “gear” arranged on a bed, including two hatchets, a stun baton and a knife, along with a caption reading, “Now getting ready for tomorrow.”

Additionally, on the day of the uprising, he allegedly took a “selfie-style video” and said, “We are on the move. Heading up to the Capitol” as demonstrators walked along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Taylor was part of The California Patriots-DC Brigade, a social media chat group that he described as being “exclusive to be utilized to organize a group of fighters to have each other’s backs and ensure that no one will trample on our rights,” according to the indictment.

The day before the Capitol attack, Taylor allegedly co-sponsored a pro-Trump rally near the Supreme Court where he and others addressed supporters.

Additionally, a month before the violent attack on the Capitol, Taylor issued a prophetic warning to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“Week after week, I and others are with thousands in the street all up and down the state of California,” Taylor said during a December 2020 board meeting. “You know what they are saying? Revolution. Storm the capitols.”

Huish described Taylor as a “normal guy” who holds deep-seated beliefs and is misunderstood. “He is not part of a militia, for heaven’s sake,” said the attorney.

The court will consider Taylor’s bond modification request during a hearing set for Thursday.

 

 

 
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NWBuck

NWBuck 8535

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Posted
3 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

Arrivederci, cocksucker

 

 

That's the one I've been waiting for- I know him, and his family, from another life.

Always angry, always looking for someone to blame and someone else to take advantage of

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RDCanecutter

RDCanecutter 26001

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Gil Bang said:

A man facing charges in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot may have violated the conditions of his bond last month by attempting to have an overseas shipment of knives and axes delivered to his Ladera Ranch home, according to federal prosecutors.

Russell Taylor, 41, is charged with conspiracy, obstruction, entering and remaining in a restricted building, and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. He is currently under house arrest.

Taylor is among several Orange County residents, including former La Habra Police Chief Alan Hostetter, who are accused of participating in the Capitol riot to block votes certifying the election of President Joe Biden.

Taylor is seeking permission to remove a GPS ankle monitor that he maintains is causing excessive leg swelling and painful lesions, according to a motion filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court.

The FBI learned on June 21 that a pair of knives and axes shipped from a foreign vendor were en route to Taylor’s home in possible violation of his bond conditions prohibiting him from possessing firearms, destructive devices or other weapons, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a motion.

“Given that the content of this cargo shipment appears to constitute a violation of that condition, the government now respectfully notifies the court of the potential violation,” prosecutors said. “The government has also reported this information to the probation department.”

Additionally, Taylor claims in a motion he canceled the delivery of the axes and knives that he asserts were intended to be given away as prizes to winners of four-wheel drive road rallies sponsored by a company that employs him.

“Mr. Taylor never had any intention to own or keep these items,” the motion says. “They were strictly and only to be given to people, other than Taylor, at the pending events.”

Taylor’s attorney, Dyke Huish, said Friday the government’s contention about the canceled shipment is inconsequential. “On first blush, it looks inappropriate, but when it was investigated it was cleared up completely,” he said. “It was a misunderstanding. It’s not an issue.”

Taylor could not be reached for comment.

The federal grand jury indictment alleges Taylor allegedly joined rioters who were pushing through a line of law enforcement officers. Taylor also is accused of carrying a knife in a vest pocket and urging the rioters on before pushing through a police line and upstairs in the Capitol onto a terrace.

Prosecutors say Taylor on Jan. 5 posted a photo on an encrypted messaging service showing “gear” arranged on a bed, including two hatchets, a stun baton and a knife, along with a caption reading, “Now getting ready for tomorrow.”

Additionally, on the day of the uprising, he allegedly took a “selfie-style video” and said, “We are on the move. Heading up to the Capitol” as demonstrators walked along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Taylor was part of The California Patriots-DC Brigade, a social media chat group that he described as being “exclusive to be utilized to organize a group of fighters to have each other’s backs and ensure that no one will trample on our rights,” according to the indictment.

The day before the Capitol attack, Taylor allegedly co-sponsored a pro-Trump rally near the Supreme Court where he and others addressed supporters.

Additionally, a month before the violent attack on the Capitol, Taylor issued a prophetic warning to the Orange County Board of Supervisors.

“Week after week, I and others are with thousands in the street all up and down the state of California,” Taylor said during a December 2020 board meeting. “You know what they are saying? Revolution. Storm the capitols.”

Huish described Taylor as a “normal guy” who holds deep-seated beliefs and is misunderstood. “He is not part of a militia, for heaven’s sake,” said the attorney.

The court will consider Taylor’s bond modification request during a hearing set for Thursday.

 

 

 

Cheap fucker can't even buy American.

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25690

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Posted

Washington — A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting three police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department announced.

The man, Mark Ponder, 56, was arrested in March 2021 in Washington and pleaded guilty in April to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon.

Federal prosecutors said that on the afternoon of Jan. 6, as the mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters descended upon the Capitol, Ponder swung a long, thin pole at a U.S. Capitol Police officer responding to the rioters on the building's West Plaza. The officer, who was not identified, raised his riot shield above his head to protect himself, and Ponder struck the shield with his pole, snapping it in two, according to his plea agreement.

After retreating into the crowd outside the Capitol, Ponder then found a "new, thicker pole colored with red, white and blue stripes," court filings said, and approached a second Capitol Police officer who also used his riot shield to block the pole. Several minutes later, Ponder, facing Metropolitan Police Department officers lined on the Capitol's Upper West Terrace, "wildly" swung the same colored pole at the officers and hit one in the left shoulder, according to the Justice Department.

Ponder was detained by Metropolitan Police officers and told law enforcement, "When our country is being attacked with, like we are, we have a right to fight ... that is what the Second Amendment was built on," according to his plea agreement. 

He was ultimately released the afternoon of Jan. 6 and told not to return to the Capitol. But Ponder went back to the Capitol's Lower West Terrace later in the early evening, "engaging with officers who were trying to clear the area of rioters," court documents said.

Following his arrest in March 2021, Ponder admitted to FBI agents that he struck at least one officer with the red, white and blue pole and said the assaults were not "personal," according to his plea agreement. He also told the agents "the way this country is going, you gonna have to pick a side," court filings said.

Ponder is the second person to be sentenced to 63 months in prison — the longest term imposed so far in the ongoing investigation — for actions during the Capitol insurrection. The other defendant, Robert Scott Palmer, admitted to assaulting police officers with a wooden plank and fire extinguisher during the attack.

The Justice Department has arrested more than 850 people for charges related to the assault at the Capitol, including more than 260 who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

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AnTiM

AnTiM 1634

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1 minute ago, Gil Bang said:

Washington — A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting three police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department announced.

The man, Mark Ponder, 56, was arrested in March 2021 in Washington and pleaded guilty in April to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon.

Federal prosecutors said that on the afternoon of Jan. 6, as the mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters descended upon the Capitol, Ponder swung a long, thin pole at a U.S. Capitol Police officer responding to the rioters on the building's West Plaza. The officer, who was not identified, raised his riot shield above his head to protect himself, and Ponder struck the shield with his pole, snapping it in two, according to his plea agreement.

After retreating into the crowd outside the Capitol, Ponder then found a "new, thicker pole colored with red, white and blue stripes," court filings said, and approached a second Capitol Police officer who also used his riot shield to block the pole. Several minutes later, Ponder, facing Metropolitan Police Department officers lined on the Capitol's Upper West Terrace, "wildly" swung the same colored pole at the officers and hit one in the left shoulder, according to the Justice Department.

Ponder was detained by Metropolitan Police officers and told law enforcement, "When our country is being attacked with, like we are, we have a right to fight ... that is what the Second Amendment was built on," according to his plea agreement. 

He was ultimately released the afternoon of Jan. 6 and told not to return to the Capitol. But Ponder went back to the Capitol's Lower West Terrace later in the early evening, "engaging with officers who were trying to clear the area of rioters," court documents said.

Following his arrest in March 2021, Ponder admitted to FBI agents that he struck at least one officer with the red, white and blue pole and said the assaults were not "personal," according to his plea agreement. He also told the agents "the way this country is going, you gonna have to pick a side," court filings said.

Ponder is the second person to be sentenced to 63 months in prison — the longest term imposed so far in the ongoing investigation — for actions during the Capitol insurrection. The other defendant, Robert Scott Palmer, admitted to assaulting police officers with a wooden plank and fire extinguisher during the attack.

The Justice Department has arrested more than 850 people for charges related to the assault at the Capitol, including more than 260 who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Just came here to post this a few seconds late.  Would like to add that the judge sentenced this clown to more time than prosecutors recommended, bless her heart.  Need more like her.

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Foosters

Foosters 17638

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Posted
On 7/26/2022 at 6:08 PM, Gil Bang said:

Washington — A Washington, D.C., man was sentenced Tuesday to 63 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting three police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department announced.

The man, Mark Ponder, 56, was arrested in March 2021 in Washington and pleaded guilty in April to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon.

Federal prosecutors said that on the afternoon of Jan. 6, as the mob of former President Donald Trump's supporters descended upon the Capitol, Ponder swung a long, thin pole at a U.S. Capitol Police officer responding to the rioters on the building's West Plaza. The officer, who was not identified, raised his riot shield above his head to protect himself, and Ponder struck the shield with his pole, snapping it in two, according to his plea agreement.

After retreating into the crowd outside the Capitol, Ponder then found a "new, thicker pole colored with red, white and blue stripes," court filings said, and approached a second Capitol Police officer who also used his riot shield to block the pole. Several minutes later, Ponder, facing Metropolitan Police Department officers lined on the Capitol's Upper West Terrace, "wildly" swung the same colored pole at the officers and hit one in the left shoulder, according to the Justice Department.

Ponder was detained by Metropolitan Police officers and told law enforcement, "When our country is being attacked with, like we are, we have a right to fight ... that is what the Second Amendment was built on," according to his plea agreement. 

He was ultimately released the afternoon of Jan. 6 and told not to return to the Capitol. But Ponder went back to the Capitol's Lower West Terrace later in the early evening, "engaging with officers who were trying to clear the area of rioters," court documents said.

Following his arrest in March 2021, Ponder admitted to FBI agents that he struck at least one officer with the red, white and blue pole and said the assaults were not "personal," according to his plea agreement. He also told the agents "the way this country is going, you gonna have to pick a side," court filings said.

Ponder is the second person to be sentenced to 63 months in prison — the longest term imposed so far in the ongoing investigation — for actions during the Capitol insurrection. The other defendant, Robert Scott Palmer, admitted to assaulting police officers with a wooden plank and fire extinguisher during the attack.

The Justice Department has arrested more than 850 people for charges related to the assault at the Capitol, including more than 260 who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Anyone surprised that the longest sentence to date pursuant to a plea deal was given to a Black man?

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25690

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Posted

haha fuck this guy

 

WASHINGTON — A pro-Trump social media influencer who was convicted of disorderly and disruptive conduct on the Capitol's grounds for his actions Jan. 6 is upset over the release of court filings this week that were supposed to be sealed and detail the assistance he provided to federal authorities investigating the siege.

Brandon Straka, a self-described former liberal who founded the #WalkAway movement in support of Republicans, was sentenced to three months of home detention and a total of three years of probation in January. His relatively light sentence was in part due to what his lawyer described as "significant" cooperation with the FBI investigation into the Jan. 6 attack.

Documents detailing his cooperation were placed under seal when they were filed ahead of his sentencing, but a coalition of media companies that includes NBC News filed a motion this week requesting they be unsealed.

 

Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered earlier this week that some of the documents be unsealed immediately, but asked for additional filings from both parties on whether the underlying attachments with the details of Straka's cooperation should be unsealed.

But the documents provided to the media coalition, in an apparent error, included the underlying attachments that were meant to be kept under seal for the time being. Early Friday, Straka's attorney filed a motion requesting a hearing on the release of the documents “without Court approval.”

After details of Straka's cooperation began spreading on social media and a report about it ran on WUSA-9, Straka took to the right-leaning social media platform GETTR and posted a two-page letter expressing outrage at what he described as a "leak."

According to the unsealed documents, some of the information that he provided to the FBI was derogatory in nature and could support criminal charges. But his GETTR post ignored that, and he instead wrote that the majority of the people he spoke to the FBI about were his friends and that he didn't say anything negative about them.

“There is NOTHING WRONG with talking to the DOJ and telling them your friends are innocent,” Straka said. “I hope at some point people pull their heads out and begin focusing on the ACTUAL horror here — that sealed court documents were leaked from within the DOJ to the liberal media.”

Among those named in the unsealed court documents: "Stop the Steal" organizers Ali Alexander, Amy Kremer, Kylie Kremer and Cindy Chafian.

The list also featured Simone Gold, an anti-vaccine advocate whom Straka specifically identified as a friend in his GETTR post.

"One of the names of the list was Simone Gold (now a friend of mine), and Simone was arrested and charged BEFORE I was. At the time of January 6th we barely knew each other," he wrote.

According to prosecutors, however, Straka is really underselling the assistance he provided in their prosecution of the woman he now calls a friend. The Department of Justice wrote in its own memo that Straka gave federal investigators critical information in the case because he “provided the government with voicemail messages that he received from Gold” that were “valuable in the government’s prosecution.” Gold was sentenced to two months in federal prison in June.

Straka, according to the government, also provided "beneficial" information about a man who, like him, was also present outside the Capitol and "was not previously identified by the FBI prior to Straka’s identification." Straka provided the information on the man, whom his defense described as a convicted sex offender from Nevada, although Straka's defense memo noted that it was "unknown whether this individual actually did enter the Capitol."

It isn't the first time that Straka has attempted to scrub away the facts of his case.

Although he admitted in a signed court document as part of his plea, that it was "true and accurate" that he said "take it, take it" as rioters attempted to steal a Capitol Police officer's shield, he's since tried to downplay the behavior he admitted, and strongly implied that he was lying when he signed the plea deal.

"I'm being accused of shouting 'Take the shield, take the shield,' which I can't disprove," Straka said in a YouTube interview last month, posted shortly after his home detention ended. "In the statement of offense, it was a condition that I basically confess to all of the things that I originally accused me of ... I told my attorney I cannot sign this ... My option was take the deal as written or go to trial, and I took the deal.""I'm being accused of shouting 'Take the shield, take the shield,' which I can't disprove," Straka said in a YouTube interview last month, posted shortly after his home detention ended. "In the statement of offense, it was a condition that I basically confess to all of the things that I originally accused me of ... I told my attorney I cannot sign this ... My option was take the deal as written or go to trial, and I took the deal."

 

The facts that he admitted are inconvenient for his career, as he said during his sentencing hearing: “My followers don’t condone violence and all of them stand up to back the blue… My followers would never tolerate me advocating violence."

During the sentencing hearing, Friedrich — a 2017 Trump appointee — said it was “very hard to accept what Mr. Straka wants me to believe,” given his extensive social media posts about Jan. 6, and that his story that he was “completely oblivious” to the violence at the Capitol before he headed down to the building didn't ring true.

“What does he mean by ‘Patriots… HOLD. THE LINE.’?” the judge asked his lawyer, citing a tweet that Straka posted at 5:33 p.m. Jan. 6.

Straka said in his GETTR post that the real story was that “sealed court documents were leaked from within the DOJ to the liberal media.”

 
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“I’ve suffered immensely at the hands of the DOJ for a year and a half," he said. "The reason why these documents were leaked is because I didn’t go away and crawl in a hole and die after my case the way they wanted me to. I’m still not going to now.”

Back in January, his lawyer revealed that FBI special agents who questioned Straka were “focused on establishing an organized conspiracy between defendant, President Donald J. Trump, and allies of the former president, to disrupt the Joint Session of Congress on January 6.” Straka, he wrote, “denied the existence of any such plot.”

CORRECTION (July 29, 2022, 2:25 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the last names of two “Stop the Steal” organizers, based on misspellings used by both the government and the defense in court documents. They are Amy Kremer and Kylie Kremer, not Kremmer. 

 

 
 
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PhillyD

PhillyD 1246

Posted
Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

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While he found out, after fucking around, this sentence was quite a bit less than what prosecution wanted.  He had a gun at the Capitol and I understand he had another gun in his car.  I would have like to have seen more but at the same time, I'm grateful the judge didn't give a weak sentence.  I'll take it, but not really satisfied.

Edited by PhillyD
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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45233

Posted
Posted
3 minutes ago, PhillyD said:

While he found out, after fucking around, this sentence was quite a bit less than what prosecution wanted.  He had a gun at the Capitol and I understand he had another gun in his car.  I would have like to have seen more but at the same time, I'm grateful the judge didn't give a weak sentence.  I'll take it, but not really satisfied.

I would let all these idiots go if they would guarantee the higher up actors at the end of a rope.

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