A Capitol riot defendant accused of smoking weed in a senator's office admitted to 2 additional felonies while representing himself
Category: News & Politics
Via: tessylo • 5 years ago • 17 commentsBy: Erin Snodgrass, Business Insider
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
A Capitol riot defendant accused of smoking weed in a senator's office admitted to 2 additional felonies while representing himself
Brandon Fellows in the US Capitol on January 6. The US Department of Justice.
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A Capitol riot defendant chose to represent himself in a bond hearing, despite the judge's warnings.
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Brandon Fellows on Tuesday admitted to multiple criminal offenses while under cross examination.
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A federal judge in return, denied Fellow's request to reconsider his detention status.
A Capitol riot defendant who decided to represent himself in his most recent bond hearing not only failed to win his release, but also likely admitted to two new felonies in the process, a federal judge said on Tuesday.
Brandon Fellows faces a litany of charges stemming from his participation in the January 6 Capitol attack, including a felony count of obstructing an official proceeding. Federal prosecutors allege Fellows entered the Capitol through a broken window and smoked marijuana in Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley's office during the insurrection.
Despite a strenuous warning from US District Judge Trevor McFadden ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Fellows decided to take the stand, where he admitted to additional crimes stemming from his time during the riot, as well as a separate criminal offense in the aftermath.
The man from Albany, New York, was initially granted pretrial release, but found himself back in custody in June following a series of violations, including a missed a court-ordered mental-health evaluation. Prosecutors allege that during his brief stint of freedom, Fellows also called a probation officer's mother and put a judge's wife's number down as his own when a court clerk attempted to contact him about allegations that he was harassing a former girlfriend.
After Fellows requested the opportunity to represent himself pro se in the case last month, McFadden granted the defendant's request, despite warning him that his lack of formal law training could have negative consequences on his case. Fellows told the court that he had spent two weeks studying in DC Jail's law library and felt confident in his "maverick decisions," CBS affiliate WUSA reported.
Brandon Fellow's license photo. The US Department of Justice.
During Tuesday's hearing, in which Fellows attempted to argue that his bond status should be reconsidered, the defendant inadvertently admitted to considering another possible crime. Fellows recounted a conversation he had with his public defender, in which he asked if he should contact McFadden's family as a way to get the judge disqualified from his case, WUSA reported. He also reportedly told his former attorney about a time he previously put the phone number of a judge's wife down as his emergency contact so he could get a new judge assigned to his case, which worked.
Fellows told the court that his public defender told him doing so is illegal and would land him in jail for even longer.
"When I'm worried, I don't make the most understandable decisions," Fellows explained, according to WUSA.
Fellows' listed public defender did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
When Assistant US Attorney Mona Furst cross-examined Fellows while under oath, the defendant quickly admitted to climbing into the Capitol through a broken window without permission from authorities. He also admitted to previously using a judge's wife's phone number to get a new judge in a past case.
The Judge McFadden denied Fellows' request to reconsider his status, and ordered him back to DC jail.
"You've admitted to incredible lapses of judgment here on the stand, not least of which was seeking to disqualify a New York state judge," McFadden said, according to WUSA reporter Jordan Fischer. "You've admitted to obstruction of justice in that case, and you've admitted to what was probably obstruction in this case in trying to have me disqualified ..."
"You've engaged in a pattern of behaviors that shows contempt for the criminal justice system, and I just have no confidence that you will follow my orders if I release you," he added.
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Let's Go Brandon !
That is right John!
We all know what "Let's go Brandon!" really means. You are starting to come around!
The DOJ had better lock Fellows up for a damn long time! How dare he smoke weed in a Senator's office! That is a far worse offense than arson, looting, destruction of federal property, or assault of a federal officer.
What really pisses Merkley off is that Fellows was smoking his stash!
Let us all know when the left comes back to damn reality. There are far bigger crisis than the Jan 6th riot. Try the wide open southern border and ever increasing influx of illegal immigrants; US citizens, green card holders, and special VISA holders still trapped in Afghanistan (is Joe ever going to lift a finger to help any of them out?); surging violent crime rates across the US; rising inflation; increasing gas prices; China threatening Taiwan and neighbors; Covid 19 infection rates spiking everywhere; and infighting Democratic Party in the House and Senate over two massive porkulus spending bills.
Midterms can't get here quick enough.
I do know what "Let's Go Brandon" means. It is a code right wing idiots use for "Fuck Joe Biden".
After a Nascar race the crowd was chanting "Fuck Joe Biden" (like a bunch of morons) while a woman sports reporter was interviewing the winner of the race, a driver named Brandon.
As an explanation for the chanting, the reporter changed what they were saying to "Lets Go Brandon" as if they were chanting to the winner of the race. It was a fast thinking, cute, move on her part.
The right picked it up and started using it to mean "Fuck Joe Biden" .
End of stupid story.
Chanting slogans is one of the right's talents, it unifies their 'we are one' collective chagrin ... they're all so 1984.
"We Are The Champions".....of what they have no clue.
No there really isn't.
A lie - the southern border is no more or less open than it's ever been. Plus the Biden Admin has doubled down on many of Trump's border policies including deporting undocumented people without due process using the pandemic as an excuse.
They had months to get their shit together and get out before the collapse of the Afghan government. The State Dept, the military and private groups are all still working to help get them out.
Thanks to easy to get guns and a social media system that makes more money the more people are radicalized. Every fucking talking head on TV is telling people to be pissed off. Every post on social media is telling people they are being screwed. What was once fist fights are now shoot outs. The Biden Admin is giving more money to police forces. I don't see any of you finger pointers helping to help keep guns out of the hands of criminals like the two that shot up a bar in Minneapolis last weekend.
Unless you're all of a sudden calling for socialism, these issues are a result of capitalism and market forces. Not something any President can do much about.
So now we're the world police again? Naw... China backed down anyway after thumping it's chest and the Biden Admin authorized more ground to air support.
Thanks to Trumpublican Populist misinformation and dumbasses like DeSantis and Abbot. More COVID deaths means less conservative votes though
Yeah... like that was never gonna happen. It's sweet you care about the Democratic Party though. I don't want most of that second bill to pass anyway so let 'em argue.
Didn't Trump tell his sycophants not to vote in the mid-terms?
Well, does weed really open new doors or does it simply let you crawl through broken ones? Why is it an issue, It’s supposed to be great stuff?
Brandon Fellows on Tuesday admitted to multiple criminal offenses while under cross examination.
Trump's minions are soooo stupid.
They probably still think Trump won in 2020. That's hilarious!
"We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated," - DJT
Perrie Mason he'd not. Much more like a Rudy Four Seasons.