Some Capitol riot suspects apologize as consequences sink in
Category: News & Politics
Via: tessylo • 3 years ago • 24 commentsBy: JACQUES BILLEAUD and MICHAEL TARM
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Some Capitol riot suspects apologize as consequences sink in
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Capitol Breach Apologies
FILE - In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo, supporters of President Donald Trump, including Jacob Chansley, right with fur hat, are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington. Chansley made a written apology from jail, asking for understanding as he was coming to grips with his actions. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
PHOENIX (AP) — The helmet-wearing Idaho man photographed dangling by one hand from the Senate’s balcony during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol turned himself in six days later. While buckled in the vehicle delivering him to the Boise jail, Josiah Colt made a video apologizing and expressing shame for storming the building.
Jacob Chansley, the self-described QAnon Shaman who posed for photos on the Senate dais while sporting face paint and a furry hat with horns, also lacks the enthusiasm he once showed for the riot. A month later, he wrote an apology from jail, asking for understanding as he was coming to grips with his actions.
Confronted with compelling video and photographic evidence in court, dozens of rioters have apologized and expressed regret as the consequences of their actions have started to sink in. The ramifications include potential job losses, financial ruin and possible time behind bars.
“This is going to have consequences for these people for the rest of their lives — and it should,” said John Flannery, a former federal prosecutor and Capitol Hill lawyer.
A lawyer for Dominic Pezzola , who authorities say is a member of the extremist group Proud Boys and broke a Capitol window with a police shield, said in a filing that his client’s incarceration has placed his wife and two children in desperate financial straits.
Several workers at a floor installation business Pezzola manages are also out of work because Pezzola is jailed, attorney Jonathan Zucker wrote in a February filing seeking Pezzola’s release pending trial.
Pezzola, the attorney wrote, was sorry for his actions, which included posting a video giving a triumphant speech inside the Capitol while smoking a “victory” cigar.
“Since his arrest, having time to reflect and see how things have revealed themselves, he now realizes he was duped into these mistaken beliefs ” that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, Zucker wrote.
Colt, who had expressed devotion to Trump and called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a traitor, seemed to recognize the long-term consequences of his actions in the Capitol in the minutes before his arrest as he spoke on the video , later posted by KBOI-TV.
“I never intended to do anything that would bring a black eye to my family, country, me,” he said, adding that he had received death threats.
Regret has struck some rioters sooner than others.
The day after Chad Jones allegedly swung a flag pole at police just outside the House chamber, he told a friend he was an “idiot,” adding he knew he was “in big trouble,” according to court documents.
He was right. A week later a federal complaint charged him with, among other things, using a weapon — the flag pole — to assault an officer. The charges carry a maximum 60 years in prison.
Samuel Camargo, who had posted a video on Instagram showing him tussling with police trying to get through a door to the Capitol, was on Facebook a day later with his apology.
“I’m sorry to all the people I’ve disappointed as this is not who I am nor what I stand for,” he wrote. Camargo, too, was charged.
It didn't necessarily help his case. A judge ordered Camargo, who was arrested in Washington on Inauguration Day , jailed until trial after concluding no release condition could ensure Camargo’s future appearance in court.
As a procession of rioters ended up before federal judges, some issuing apologies before they got to court, it was impossible to discern who was sincerely sorry and who was expressing contrition in a preemptive bid for leniency from the court.
From behind bars after his arrest in March and with a bond hearing upcoming, 18-year-old rioter Bruno Joseph Cua penned a letter to his judge, assuring the court he was regretful and had been humbled by the experience. “Lesson fully received, your Honor,” Cua wrote, according to court documents.
Two months earlier Cua posted enthusiastic notes on social media saying he’d been part of history in joining throngs rushing the Capitol, charging documents say. He added in a sentence that jurors would likely take as an admission of guilt: “Yes, we physically fought our way in.”
Among the rude awakenings: No plea deals yet, though they may be in the works. Given it was an attack on what many regard as the citadel of American democracy, the sentiment among prosecutors, judges and the public at large, at least for now, isn't exactly lenient.
Pezzola’s judge denied his request for bond, citing a potential danger to the community and saying Pezzola’s expressions of regret now can’t outweigh evidence that he “was willing to play an important role in an act of political violence.”
To date, more than 300 Capitol Hill rioters have been charged. Several are accused of careful planning and of coordinating the attack on Jan. 6. Most aren’t accused of committing violence or damaging property but of walking past security lines and entering restricted areas.
In most cases, there’s little dispute those charged did breach the Capitol building, having provided evidence of that themselves in selfies and videos posted online.
Edward Jacob Lang posted a photograph of himself in a crowd of Trump supporters pushing their way through a Capitol building tunnel, beating police as they went. He later went to the trouble of putting a finger emoji on the photo pointing to a fuzzy image of someone by the tunnel. The caption he included read, “THIS IS ME.” The photo was included in the Jan. 16 complaint charging him.
Some rioters, several speaking through attorneys, have said they went along with the flow of the mob and gave little thought to what they were doing until it was too late.
James Rahm said in a video statement before he was charged that he knew the second he stepped across the threshold of a Capitol door “the FBI was coming for me.” The 61-year-old said he was seized by the “passion of the moment.”
Psychologists have long observed how individuals in frenzied crowds seem to lose their sense of individual responsibility and become willing to engage in anti-social behavior they’d never contemplate on their own.
Courts are unlikely to allow lawyers to use the psychology of crowds as a defense at trial. It could potentially be raised at sentencing to try to explain how those with no previous criminal record ended up breaking the law.
Among the most well-known personalities in the Capitol riot to issue an apology is Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman from Phoenix who stormed the building while carrying a spear and expressed his disappointment with Trump, who had denied his pardon request.
In his apology, Chansley asked for patience for him and others who participated because they were “having a very difficult time piecing together all that happened to us, around us, and by us."
“We are good people who care deeply about our country,” Chansley wrote.
A month later, a judge who denied Chansley’s bid to be released from jail had questioned whether the Arizona man was still under Trump’s spell, pointing out Chansley said in a CBS “60 Minutes+” interview that he didn’t regret his loyalty to Trump.
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Tarm reported from Chicago.
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Only thing these inbred scum are sorry for is that they got caught. I believe they thought there would be no consequences. Idiots.
How many, do you think, were expecting a Presidential pardon?
... all of them.
tough shit. 20 years minimum for trumpster traitors.
Most of them won't be prosecuted....or simply plead to misdemeanors.
But it will still go on their records.
Confronted with compelling video and photographic evidence in court, dozens of rioters have apologized and expressed regret as the consequences of their actions have started to sink in. The ramifications include potential job losses, financial ruin and possible time behind bars.
“This is going to have consequences for these people for the rest of their lives — and it should,” said John Flannery, a former federal prosecutor and Capitol Hill lawyer.
They can plead to misdemeanors all they want . . . . let's see how that works!
cool. dox them and let the private sector deal with those traitors.
I'm more inclined to think they'll be prosecuted and put on probation. Some may also face a stiff fine. Most will happily take that deal rather than face 6 mo to 5 years in jail or prison and then probation.
Really Greg? Misdemeanors?
I DON'T THINK SO!
Do you even understand what a plea bargain is.
Do you?
DOJ may decide to make examples of them, showing what will happen if anyone tries to overturn the government again.
all of these right wing white supremacist militia mentalities, domestic terrorists, need to be addressed nationwide by our government and then dealt with harshly at every opportunity. I'm still a bit disappointed that some of their flags weren't eventually utilized on site in an alternative manor.
Okay, if they plea down to a misdemeanor, let's add a few more conditions to the plea.
Anything else we should add?
This guy just didn't hurt himself he hurt his family and people that relied on him for a job.
bwah ha ha, too fucking bad...
Yeah, what a shame huh? He should have thought about that before he 'Stormed the Capitol!' 'It's a Revolution!'
duplicate
"In most cases, there’s little dispute those charged did breach the Capitol building, having provided evidence of that themselves in selfies and videos posted online.
Edward Jacob Lang posted a photograph of himself in a crowd of Trump supporters pushing their way through a Capitol building tunnel, beating police as they went. He later went to the trouble of putting a finger emoji on the photo pointing to a fuzzy image of someone by the tunnel. The caption he included read, “THIS IS ME.” The photo was included in the Jan. 16 complaint charging him.
Some rioters, several speaking through attorneys, have said they went along with the flow of the mob and gave little thought to what they were doing until it was too late."
These idiots are the ones who are going to face the most serious charges. The scum have provided all the evidence needed for their prosecutors. IDIOTS!
The ones who beat the police. The ones who sprayed the 'bear spray' in the officers' face who later died, they are responsible for these deaths. They're the ones that need to face the most serious charges and serious jail time.
DO THESE SOUND LIKE MISDEMEANORS TO ANYONE HERE?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/capitol-riot-suspect-wore-shirt-190028306.html
Here's another moron who's provided all the evidence needed at trial:
Capitol riot suspect wore 'I Was There' shirt when arrested
Capitol Breach Incriminating Shirt
A statement of facts document presented to the United States District Court in the case against Garret Miller is photographed on Monday, March 29, 2021. Miller didn't speak to the law enforcement officers who arrested him on charges he stormed the U.S. Capitol in January, but the T-shirt he was wearing at his Dallas, home that day sent a clear and possibly incriminating message. Miller's shirt had a photograph of former President Donald Trump and it said, “Take America Back” and “I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021,” federal prosecutors noted in a court filing on Marc 29. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)Miller's shirt had a photograph of former President Donald Trump, and it said “Take America Back” and “I Was There, Washington D.C., January 6, 2021,” federal prosecutors noted in a court filing Monday.
Prosecutors are urging a judge to keep Miller jailed while he awaits trial on charges stemming from the Jan. 6 riots in the nation's capital.
On a recorded call immediately after his arrest, Miller told his mother, “I don’t feel that I’ve done anything wrong and now I’m being locked up,” according to prosecutors.
After Miller posted a selfie showing himself inside the Capitol building, another Facebook user wrote, “bro you got in?! Nice!" Miller replied, “just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol,” prosecutors said.
Miller joined the mob that breached the Capitol building and later threatened to kill New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and a Capitol police officer, authorities said.
After the Democratic congresswoman tweeted the word “Impeach,” Miller tweeted back to her, “Assassinate AOC,” according to prosecutors.
In a Jan. 10 post on Instagram, Miller said the officer who shot and killed a woman in the crowd of rioters should get a televised execution, according to prosecutors. Miller believed the officer was a Black man and called him a “prize to be taken,” prosecutors said.
“He will swing," he allegedly wrote. "I had a rope in my bag on that day.”
“By bringing tactical gear, ropes, and potentially, by his own admission, a gun to the Capitol on January 6, 2021, Miller showed that he was not just caught up in the frenzy of the crowd but instead came to D.C. with the intention of disrupting the democratic process of counting and certifying Electoral College votes,” prosecutors wrote.
A federal magistrate judge in Texas ordered Miller detained after his Jan. 20 arrest. On Feb. 12, a grand jury in the District of Columbia indicted Miller on 12 counts, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
Miller's attorney is seeking his client's release from custody, saying he has expressed regret for his actions.
“Nevertheless, he has no history of violence, and he did not engage in any acts of violence in connection with the charged offenses, unlike many others who have previously been released,” defense attorney F. Clinton Broden wrote.
Miller remains jailed in Oklahoma City. His transport to Washington is on hold because he broke his collarbone while playing soccer in the recreation yard at a Dallas jail.
They are all sorry now that they could spend time in jail with some real badasses.
They babble on about personal responsibility so let them deal with the own actions and the fallout.
Yeah, they thought they were real badasses until they wound up in prison!
Everytime I see a picture of the guy with the horns I think "What a fucking moron".