5 takeaways from the Capitol riot criminal cases, one year later
2 years, 11 months ago

5 takeaways from the Capitol riot criminal cases, one year later

NPR  

5 takeaways from the Capitol riot criminal cases, one year later Enlarge this image toggle caption Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg via Getty Images By now, the date is lodged in the collective national memory: Jan. 6, 2021, when hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the legitimate transfer of power from the former president to whom they had pledged loyalty to current President Biden. In the aftermath of Jan. 6, Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby called the riot "a wake-up call" and the prevalence of extremist views among current and former service members "not an insignificant problem." "Concerns about conditions in the jail received little attention until they were raised, of course, by mostly white defendants accused of perpetrating the January 6 insurrection.. That's not because people weren't complaining," Racine said at a hearing of the D.C. Council's Judiciary and Public Safety Committee after the Marshals Service report. Because of the controversial principle known as the "trial penalty," people who take their cases to trial and lose face much stiffer sentences than those who plead guilty.

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History of this topic

Hundreds of convictions, but a major mystery is still unsolved 3 years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Hundreds of convictions, but a major mystery is still unsolved 3 years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Members of far-right extremist groups. What to know: What’s happening: It’s been three years since the Jan. 6, 2021, riot when the nation watched the U.S. Capitol attack unfold It’s been three years since the Jan. 6, 2021, riot when the nation Fast forward: Now, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are making the anniversary a …

Court tosses Jan. 6 sentence in ruling that could impact other low-level Capitol riot cases
1 year, 4 months ago

Court tosses Jan. 6 sentence in ruling that could impact other low-level Capitol riot cases

Associated Press  

A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a new sentence for a North Carolina man who pleaded guilty to a petty offense in the Capitol riot — a ruling that could impact dozens of low-level cases in the massive Jan. 6, 2021 prosecution. The appeals court in Washington said James Little was wrongly sentenced for his conviction on a misdemeanor …

EXPLAINER: Capitol riot investigation growing 2 years later
1 year, 11 months ago

EXPLAINER: Capitol riot investigation growing 2 years later

Associated Press  

The largest investigation in the Justice Department’s history keeps growing two years after a violent mob of supporters of then-President Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol and challenged the foundations of American democracy. Schaffer was one of at least eight Oath Keepers who pleaded guilty before the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, and other members went to trial on seditious conspiracy …

Verdicts for three Capitol rioters could change the course of other Jan. 6 trials
2 years, 3 months ago

Verdicts for three Capitol rioters could change the course of other Jan. 6 trials

Raw Story  

The verdicts handed down Tuesday to three U.S. Capitol rioters could change the direction of future Jan. 6 prosecutions. Every defendant who has been tried before a jury has been convicted on every count, but mixed verdicts or acquittals for McCaughey, Stevens and Mehaffie could encourage others charged in the attack to opt for bench trials -- where McFadden, a …

Some Capitol rioters try to profit from their Jan. 6 crimes
2 years, 4 months ago

Some Capitol rioters try to profit from their Jan. 6 crimes

Associated Press  

Facing prison time and dire personal consequences for storming the U.S. Capitol, some Jan. 6 defendants are trying to profit from their participation in the deadly riot, using it as a platform to drum up cash, promote business endeavors and boost social media profiles. Before sentencing Gold to two months behind bars, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper called it “unseemly” …

Some Capitol rioters try to make money from their Jan. 6 crimes
2 years, 4 months ago

Some Capitol rioters try to make money from their Jan. 6 crimes

LA Times  

Insurrectionists try to break through a police barrier Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Before sentencing Gold to two months behind bars, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper called it “unseemly” that her nonprofit invoked the Capitol riot to raise money that also paid for her salary. Prosecutors said Grace’s “audacity” to sell “Back the Blue” paraphernalia is …

Despite bias claims, 6 Jan US Capitol riot trials to take place in Washington DC
2 years, 5 months ago

Despite bias claims, 6 Jan US Capitol riot trials to take place in Washington DC

Firstpost  

A growing number of defendants are pushing to have their trials moved out of D.C., saying the outcome of the first trials proves that the odds are unfairly stacked against 6 Jan defendants in the nation’s capital Washington: For some of the Washington, D.C., residents who reported for jury duty last month, a pro-Trump mob’s assault on the US Capitol …

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot
2 years, 8 months ago

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot

NPR  

Judge issues the first outright acquittal of a defendant charged over the Jan. 6 riot Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AP Jose Luis Magana/AP WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Wednesday acquitted a New Mexico man of misdemeanor charges that he illegally entered the U.S. Capitol and engaged in disorderly conduct after he walked into the building during …

First US Capitol riot trial: Defendant convicted on all counts
2 years, 9 months ago

First US Capitol riot trial: Defendant convicted on all counts

Al Jazeera  

Guilty verdict could give US prosecutors more leverage in plea negotiations with other January 6 riot defendants. During the trial’s closing arguments on Monday, Assistant US Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors that Reffitt drove to Washington, DC, intending to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory. Reffitt proudly “lit the fire” that allowed others in a mob to …

Witness: Jan. 6 rioter wanted to remove ‘corrupt’ lawmakers
2 years, 9 months ago

Witness: Jan. 6 rioter wanted to remove ‘corrupt’ lawmakers

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The first person to be tried in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol was a Texas militia member who advocated for physically removing and replacing “corrupt” members of Congress as he drove to Washington, D.C., a former group member testified Friday. Rocky Hardie, a key government witness at the trial of Guy Wesley Reffitt, said he …

‘Huge impact’: First January 6 US Capitol riot trial begins
2 years, 9 months ago

‘Huge impact’: First January 6 US Capitol riot trial begins

Al Jazeera  

Legal experts say trial of Guy Wesley Reffitt could influence the course of many other Capitol riot cases. The first trial for one of the hundreds of US Capitol riot defendants has begun, with jury selection starting on Monday for the case against Guy Wesley Reffitt. Reffitt’s trial could be a bellwether for many other Capitol riot cases, legal experts …

Capitol rioter gets prison as feds reach 100 sentencings
2 years, 10 months ago

Capitol rioter gets prison as feds reach 100 sentencings

Associated Press  

A Seattle man who punched two police officers during last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced to six months imprisonment on Thursday, as the Justice Department reached a milestone in one of the largest federal investigations in American history. The judge who sentenced Leffingwell pushed back on a recent Republican National Committee resolution that accused the congressional committee …

US Capitol rioter gets 44 months in prison for assaulting officer
2 years, 10 months ago

US Capitol rioter gets 44 months in prison for assaulting officer

Al Jazeera  

A judge in the United States has imposed a 44-month prison sentence on a man who pleaded guilty to a felony charge after throwing objects at police during last year’s January 6 attack on the US Capitol and boasting about his actions on social media. Prosecutors had recommended a 51-month sentence, but US District Judge John Bates in Washington said …

Toughest sentence yet for any Capitol rioter: over 5 years
3 years ago

Toughest sentence yet for any Capitol rioter: over 5 years

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A Capitol rioter who attacked police officers working to hold back the angry pro-Trump mob on Jan. 6 was sentenced Friday to more than five years behind bars, the most so far for anyone sentenced in the insurrection. “They kept spitting out the false narrative about a stolen election and how it was ‘our duty’ to stand up …

Capitol rioter breaks down in tears as he pleads guilty to felony assault on law enforcement
3 years, 2 months ago

Capitol rioter breaks down in tears as he pleads guilty to felony assault on law enforcement

Raw Story  

On Tuesday, WUSA9 reported that Robert Palmer, a man from Tampa, Florida who pleaded guilty to attacking Capitol Police with a fire extinguisher at the January 6 Capitol riot while dressed in a red, white, and blue Trump jacket, was in tears at his sentencing hearing, while his defense attorney expressed his client's regret for participating in the attack. "Palmer …

Capitol riot investigation: 275 cases are open, US prosecutors say
3 years, 11 months ago

Capitol riot investigation: 275 cases are open, US prosecutors say

CNN  

CNN — US investigators have opened 275 criminal cases and charged roughly 98 individuals in connection to last week’s pro-President Donald Trump riot at the US Capitol, federal officials said Friday, emphasizing they are focused on rounding up the most violent offenders. “Unfortunately as this case goes on we’re seeing indications that law enforcement officers, both former and current, maybe …

EXPLAINER: Who has been charged in the deadly Capitol riot?
3 years, 11 months ago

EXPLAINER: Who has been charged in the deadly Capitol riot?

Associated Press  

Dozens of people have already been arrested and prosecutors across the U.S. have vowed to bring to justice those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, sending lawmakers into hiding as they began their work to affirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Those being tried in federal court, where prosecutors can generally secure longer sentences, are charged with things like violent …

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