Thread: Right-wing domestic terrorists

Proud Boys attorney wants Trump statements kept out of trial

An attorney for Seattle Proud Boy Ethan Nordean argues the government failed to notify the defense in time that prosecutors planned to use the video.

An attorney for one of five Proud Boys accused of seditious conspiracy wants to keep two statements from former President Donald Trump out of trial – arguing the Justice Department failed to notify the defense it intended to use them before jury selection began.

In a motion Friday, attorney Nick Smith, who represents Proud Boys organizer Ethan Nordean, asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly to exclude approximately 30 exhibits from trial that were included in a list submitted by the government the day earlier. Jury selection began Dec. 19 and was set to resume Tuesday for Nordean and four co-defendants facing multiple felony conspiracy charges for what the government has described as a plan to assault the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021.

The exhibits in question are outlined in more detail in a response filed by the DOJ on Monday. They include a number of video clips showing events at the Capitol and damage to the building, as well as a stay-away order issued by a D.C. Superior Court judge for former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and two podcasts featuring North Carolina Proud Boy Jeremy Bertino, who is expected to be a key witness for the government during trial.

Notably, the list also includes two now well-known statements from the former president. One is a 53-second clip from a September 2020 debate between Trump and President Joe Biden in which the former president told Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.”

“But I’ll tell you what,” Trump continued, “Somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem.”

In testimony before the January 6th Committee, Bertino, who had been part of the Proud Boys’ leadership, said the group saw Trump’s comment as a “call to arms” and that its ranks swelled “exponentially” afterward.

Smith also seeks to exclude Trump’s early morning Dec. 19, 2020, tweet exhorting his followers to come to D.C. on Jan. 6 and promising it “will be wild.” During public hearings, the January 6th Committee repeatedly showed evidence of how that particular tweet caused organizers to reschedule events to Jan. 6 and motivated followers to begin planning travel to D.C.

Bloody hell, even elderly female doctors were involved in Trump's dirty work. I suspect she copped quite a whack from the female police officer.

• FBI raises award to $500,000 for information on pipe bombs near DNC, RNC HQ

The FBI on Wednesday announced it has increased the award for anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest in the investigation of the placement of pipe bombs at both the Democratic and Republican parties’ national headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021.

The bureau is now offering $500,000 dollars for relevant information on the pipe bombs, which were discovered near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee the day of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

At the time, law enforcement resources were stretched because of a rally for then-President Trump and an expected march to the Capitol that ended with a riot.

Previously released footage shows an individual in a hoodie walking near both the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters.

“With the significantly increased reward, we urge those who may have previously hesitated to contact us — or who may not have realized they had important information — to review the information on our website and come forward with anything relevant,” David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office, said in a release.

In the months following the attack, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for any relevant information.

While the FBI has received more than 500 tips and conducted more than 1,000 interviews, the suspect remains at large.

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• Proud Boys go to trial on sedition as Jan. 6 probe heats up

As members of the Proud Boys extremist group stormed past police lines and swarmed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, their leader cheered them on from afar, prosecutors say. “Do what must be done,” Enrique Tarrio wrote on social media. “So what do we do now?” someone asked later that day in a Proud Boys encrypted group chat.

“Do it again," Tarrio responded.

Almost two years later, Tarrio's words are at the center of the Justice Department's seditious conspiracy case against the former Proud Boys national chairman. Prosecutors in his trial in Washington are trying to build on their recent courtroom victory against leaders of another far-right extremist group, the Oath Keepers.

Tarrio, who led the neofacist group as it became a force in mainstream Republican circles, is perhaps the highest-profile defendant yet to stand trial for charges stemming from the insurrection. Tarrio and four lieutenants face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of seditious conspiracy. Jury selection is underway and opening statements could begin later this week.

The trial comes at a pivotal time in the Justice Department’s wide-ranging Jan. 6 investigation. Key aspects are now overseen by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. Smith has issued a number of subpoenas in recent weeks to state election officials, seeking their communications with Donald Trump and others involved the then-president's efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

The House committee that investigated the Capitol riot urged the department to bring criminal charges against Trump. While the referrals carry no legal weight, the recommendation could increase public pressure on the department to prosecute Trump, who called on supporters to “fight like hell” before the siege that halted congressional certification of Biden's victory.

The department is buoyed by the recent sedition guilty plea of a close Tarrio associate, who could provide potentially damning testimony under a cooperation deal, and the convictions in November of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and the head of the anti-government group's Florida chapter.

In Tarrio's case, prosecutors are hoping to convince jurors that they should convict him of overseeing a violent plot to stop the transfer of presidential power even though he was not in Washington on Jan. 6. Tarrio had been arrested in a separate case days earlier.

We do through this term terrorism around very casually, don't we?
Casting hither and dither.


Yet, certainly not recognizing the true and historied terrorists.
Oh well.

^fvck off jeff

assaulting a law enforcement officer carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison

• Man pleads guilty for assaulting an officer during Jan. 6 attacks

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Prosecutors said Mikhail Edward Slye, 32, used a bike rack barricade to intentionally trip a Capitol Police officer.

The officer suffered injuries to his hand, wrist and lower body after falling down stairs after being tripped, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Slye was arrested on Sept. 30 in Meadville, Pa.

The felony charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for April 4.

Slye’s guilty plea Tuesday came after he previously pleaded not guilty to more than half a dozen charges against him in October, including assaulting, resisting or impeding law enforcement officers and interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, The Meadville Tribune reported.

Since the insurrection at the Capitol, hundreds of individuals have been taken into custody while the DOJ continues to investigate and bring charges.

“In the nearly 24 months since Jan. 6, 2021, close to 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 275 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement,” the department said in a press release.

Originally Posted by HuangLao

We do through this term terrorism around very casually, don't we?

Yes.....

Watered down

• By the numbers: January 6th two years later

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.

More than 930 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the siege on Jan. 6, 2021, and the tally increases by the week. Hundreds more people remain at large on the second anniversary of the unprecedented assault that was fueled by lies that the 2020 election was stolen.

How Many People Have Been Charged?

The number of defendants charged with Jan. 6-related federal crimes is approaching 1,000. They range from misdemeanor charges against people who entered the Capitol but did not engage in any violence to seditious conspiracy charges against members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys extremist groups accused of violently plotting to stop the transfer of presidential power.

More than 100 police officers were injured at the Capitol. More than 280 defendants have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement officers on Jan. 6, according to the Justice Department. The FBI is posting videos and photos of violent, destructive rioters in seeking the public’s help in identifying other culprits.

How Many Have Pleaded Guilty?

Nearly 500 people have pleaded guilty to riot-related charges, typically hoping that cooperating could lead to a lighter punishment.

About three-quarters of them pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in which the maximum sentence was either six months or one year behind bars. More than 100 of them have pleaded guilty to felony charges punishable by longer prison terms.

How Many Have Gone to Trial?

Dozens of riot defendants have elected to let juries or judges decide their fates. For the most part, they haven’t fared well at trial.

The Justice Department notched a high-stakes victory in November when a jury convicted Rhodes, the Oath Keepers’ founder, and a Florida chapter leader of seditious conspiracy. It was the first seditious conspiracy conviction at trial in decades. Jurors acquitted three other Oath Keepers associates of the Civil War-era charge, but convicted them of other felony offenses.

How Many Have Been Sentenced?

At least 362 riot defendants were sentenced by the end of 2022. Roughly 200 of them have received terms of imprisonment ranging from seven days to 10 years. Prosecutors had recommended a jail or prison sentence in approximately 300 of those 362 cases.

Retired New York Police Department Officer Thomas Webster has received the longest prison sentence. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who sentenced Webster to a decade in prison, also presided over the first Oath Keepers sedition trial and will sentence Rhodes and Rhodes’ convicted associates.

Webster is one of 34 riot defendants who has received a prison sentence of at least three years. More than half of them, including Webster, assaulted police officers at the Capitol.

The riot resulted in more than $2.7 million in damage. So far, judges have ordered roughly 350 convicted rioters to collectively pay nearly $280,00 in restitution. More than 100 rioters have been ordered to pay over $241,000 in total fines.

sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison

• East Helena man gets 3 years, 10 months for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

Jerod Hughes, 39, has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for his actions during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Hughes and his brother Joshua Hughes from East Helena were some of the first rioters to breach the Capitol that day, according to the Department of Justice.

On Friday in Washington D.C., Federal District Court Judge Timothy Kelly handed down his ruling. In addition to prison, Jerod Hughes will have to pay $2,000 in restitution.

The Hughes brothers pleaded guilty to Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting on August 25. In November, Judge Kelly sentenced Joshua Hughes to three years and two months in prison.

The Hughes brothers were in the nation’s capital to attend Former President Trump’s rally objecting to the certification of election results. The Department of Justice say the day before, Jerod texted a friend quote “Stay tuned buddy. Trump is gonna drop the hammer or we are.”

After Trump spoke the brothers made their way to the Capitol with the advancing mob. Video captured the men climbing scaffolding which allowed them to get closer to the front. They made their way with the advancing crowd that was pushing against, and broke through police barricades.

Hughes watched as other rioters broke a window near the Senate Wing Door on the west side of the building and then entered through that broken window at 2:13 p.m. Prosecutors say he was the eighth rioter to breach the Capitol that day and was recorded attempting to kick a door open that allowed more rioters to enter.

The brothers were at the front of the crowd as it moved through the Capitol. They quickly encountered Officer Eugene Goodman who led rioters away from the Senate Chambers, which was still being evacuated at the time.

In a confrontation with police that was recorded, Jerod can be heard shouting “they can’t stop us” and “There’s a **** army behind us! You guys don’t want this!”

Around a half hour later at 2:44 p.m., Hughes entered the Senate Gallery. He left shortly after entering and went to the Senate Chamber floor with his brother. He walked among the senators’ desks for approximately two minutes. Jerod Hughes and his brother left the building at approximately 2:51 p.m.

Prosecutors say Jerod Hughes texted friends that day about entering the Capitol with one of Hughe’s responses to friends saying “Not enough people followed us in to hold the place. We had to get the **** out.”

On Jan. 11, 2021, the Hughes brothers voluntarily turned themselves in to Helena Police after seeing news reports that the FBI was trying to identify them. Jerod Hughes gave his cell phone to investigators who retrieved the text messages.

In court filings, Hughes’ lawyer said the East Helena man sincerely regrets his involvement with Hughes initially believing those actions were patriotic, but now feeling duped and taken advantage of by former President Trump.

The defense also said that Hughes and his family are paying a heavy price for "being misled and manipulated."

Jerod Hughes is the fourth known Montana resident to be sentenced for alleged actions taken at the U.S. Capitol during the riot.

Past couple of days.......Drama

• Tarrio, Proud Boys set for trial on seditious conspiracy charges

Federal prosecutors are expected on Wednesday to launch their second seditious conspiracy case related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, this time bringing charges against leaders of the right-wing Proud Boys.

Leader Enrique Tarrio is on trial alongside four other members of the group, each facing up to 20 years in prison for their role in the attack.

Prosecutors are expected to offer their opening arguments beginning Wednesday in the trial, which is expected to last one month. The arguments come just weeks after federal prosecutors successfully secured a guilty verdict for a similar case against members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia.

The two cases have a number of parallels.

Like Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes, who was found guilty late last year, Tarrio did not storm the Capitol that day. He had been ordered to remain outside of Washington, D.C., after being arrested just days before. But federal prosecutors allege he oversaw the activities of as many as 300 people rioting at the Capitol.

The other defendants — Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean, Dominic Pezzola and Zachary Rehl — were among the first to push past police barricades, mirroring the early involvement of Oath Keepers members who used a “stack formation” to march their way into the Capitol.

Biggs videotaped himself shortly before the group forced its way into the Capitol, saying, “We’ve gone through every barricade so far. F— you!”

Pezzola, who had taken an officer’s shield while they were fighting with other protesters, took photos with the item shortly before using it to smash in a Capitol window.

Like members of the Oath Keepers, each of the defendants faces charges beyond seditious conspiracy, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

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• Judge Rejects Proud Boys' Bias Claims About White Jurors

Judge Rejects Proud Boys’ Racial Bias Claims Over Diverse Jury, Notes Panel Isn’t ‘Bereft of White People’

A federal judge rejected an 11th hour claim by Proud Boys’ lawyers that prosecutors improperly discriminated against white jurors. The ruling, made by a Donald Trump appointee, will ensure that the jury panel will bear a greater resemblance to the diverse U.S. capital city.

“This Is Disturbing”

The defense’s Batson challenge — so named for a 1986 Supreme Court case ruling that found discriminatory use of peremptory challenges by criminal prosecutors is unconstitutional — came just as it appeared that the final jurors had been selected.

Smith said that the prosecution’s decision to cut multiple “white, male Republican[s],” as well as a Roman Catholic priest, from the panel amounted to discrimination.

“None of these jurors expressed any sympathy for rioters or Donald Trump,” Smith said, later adding: “There is no possible explanation that I can think of for cutting these jurors except for prohibited characteristics.”

Smith argued that there were no indications that the eliminated jurors would be biased in favor of the defendants. He praised each potential juror’s apparent even-handedness and neutrality, describing one of the jurors — a Roman Catholic priest — as “supremely objective” and dispassionate.

“This is disturbing,” Smith said. “Six of the eight were white jurors, five of those 6 were male. The statistics are 75% and over 80%.” Smith added that those numbers alone show that the government was discriminating.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, indicated that he wasn’t quite buying the defense’s argument, but instructed prosecutors to explain why they rejected those jurors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough offered a range of reasons as to why each specific juror was eliminated.

One, McCullough said, indicated he might be “sympathetic to the defendants’ views on Antifa.” Another juror, who came to jury selection “dressed in a full suit,” raised concerns that his “composure, his professional status could cause other jurors to add undue weight to his role in the deliberations” and that he could “take control of a jury panel.”

As to the priest, McCullough said that there was a concern that he would “bring his line of work into the jury room” and that “defense attorneys might seek to exploit his occupation by appealing to his sense of redemption or equity.”

Smith argued that the government’s reason was obvious religious discrimination. Kelly disagreed.

“Having a concern about a juror having professional experience, for some reason — whatever the reason is — [that] would exercise undue influence over the other jurors, that is a very common concern to have about a jury,” the judge said.

In the end, Kelly rejected the defense’s arguments. He found that the demographic distribution of the government’s peremptory challenges aligned closely with the demographics of the jury pool itself, and said that the defense hadn’t successfully made its case that discrimination had occurred. According to the latest Census, Washington, D.C. has a population that leans slightly toward people of color by plurality, with just under 46 percent of the population describing themselves as either Black or white alone.

“I have issued an order related to the media that they are not to approach the jurors in this case while their service is pending,” Kelly said. “The failure to observe that order could result in a finding of contempt, and it could, in theory, result in criminal prosecution, depending on what was said to the juror. I want to make sure that everyone is clear that no one is to approach these jurors or, once we have a jury, that no one is to approach them about the case.”

Kelly added that anyone who approaches jurors does so “at their peril.”

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• Judge gets into a 'shouting match' with Proud Boys lawyer during 'cringeworthy' pretrial hearing

A pretrial hearing for members of the Proud Boys accused of engaging in seditious conspiracy for their role in the January 6 Capitol riots went off the rails Wednesday during a heated argument between U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly and attorney Dan Hull, who is representing accused Proud Boy Joe Biggs.

As recounted by Politico senior legal affairs reporter Josh Gerstein, the drama began when Biggs' other attorney, Norm Pattis, cited "irreconcilable differences" with Hull as a reason that he wanted to withdraw from the case.

Shortly after this, Hull stood up and demanded to be able to respond to something Pattis said about him that he described as a "complete falsehood."

According to fellow Politico senior legal affairs reporter Kyle Cheney, this resulted in Judge Kelly getting into a "shouting match" with Hull over Pattis' statement in which Kelly "had to repeatedly shout him down."

Cheney also said that the entire pretrial hearing had been "extraordinarily cringeworthy to watch."

The Proud Boys trial on seditious conspiracy charges comes mere months after the government successfully prosecuted members of the Oath Keepers militia, including founder Stewart Rhodes, on the same charges for their organized attempt to violently block the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

https://www.rawstory.com/proud-boys-trial-2659140063/

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• Judge rules prosecutors can use Trump's infamous 'stand back and stand by' comments in Proud Boys trial

A federal judge ruled this Wednesday that prosecutors can use video of former President Donald Trump telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” in a trial involving seditious conspiracy charges against members of the right-wing group, CNN reports.

District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled that then-President Trump's comments showed “an additional motive to advocate for Mr. Trump (and) engage in the charged conspiracy” to keep Trump in power.

Trump made the comments during a 2020 presidential debate when then-Democratic candidate Joe Biden called on him to specifically rebuke the Proud Boys.

“Proud Boys – stand back and stand by,” Trump responded. “But I’ll tell you what. I’ll tell you what. Somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem.”

Many, including former Proud Boys testifying before the Jan. 6 committee, thought the comment was an endorsement of the group.

Judge Kelly noted that defendant Enrique Tarrio, a former chairman of the Proud Boys, tweeted, “standing by, sir” immediately after the debate.

https://www.rawstory.com/judge-rules...ud-boys-trial/

• Proud Boys sedition trial: Opening arguments begin

Federal prosecutors and defense attorneys delivered opening statements Thursday in the seditious conspiracy trial of former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and four other members of the far-right extremist group involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

All five defendants — Tarrio, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl and Dominic Pezzola — are charged with conspiring to oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power by force, assaulting and impeding law enforcement officers, obstructing a governmental proceeding, destroying government property, as well as preventing, hindering or delaying by force the execution of governing the transfer of power.

In the government’s 80-minute opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason McCullough said that in the days after the 2020 election the defendants had started "calling for action, calling for war, if their favored candidate was not elected."

When asked to condemn white supremacy during a presidential debate with Joe Biden in September 2020, then-President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by."

McCullough alluded to Trump's remark Thursday. “They did not stand back, they did not stand by, instead they mobilized,” he said in court, later showing a clip of that moment while arguing that it boosted the group’s public profile.

After the election, Tarrio posted on social media that the presidency was being stolen and vowed that his group won't "go quietly," prosecutors said. McCullough also cited messages from Tarrio on Jan. 6, including, “Make no mistake... We did this.”

“Those are his words, his thoughts, just minutes after Congress had been forced to stop its work,” McCullough said. “They did what they’d set out to do.”

McCullough walked the jury through the creation of the Ministry of Self Defense, the Proud Boys chapter Tarrio formed to focus on Jan. 6. He described the chapter as an effort by Tarrio to “manipulate public perception.”

The jury was shown video evidence filmed by the Proud Boys, including a clip in which a lower-level member nicknamed “Milkshake” yelled, “Lets take the f---ing Capitol!” In other clips, defendants could be seen celebrating on Jan. 6, with Biggs saying “So we just stormed the f---ing Capitol! That was so much fun.”

The Proud Boys also raised cash for members to travel to D.C., and set up a command structure for the day of the rally, prosecutors said.

Tarrio was aware of discussions around a plan to storm the Capitol and was involved in discussions about occupying buildings, including in the Capitol complex, according to prosecutors.

While he wasn't at the Capitol, Tarrio messaged with members throughout the riot, prosecutors said. At 11:16 p.m. that night, he posted a message on social media that appeared to show him wearing a mask and a black cape in front of the Capitol. He captioned the picture, "Premonition," court filings say.

McCullough also showed a video showing of the moment Pezzola, the defendant accused of using a stolen police shield to break a window in the Capitol, allowed rioters to gain access to the building.

“Even if you didn’t know anything about what these men had said and done leading up to January 6 you could look at just their words and actions on that day and you could conclude that they had formed an agreement,” McCullough said.

Attorneys for the defendants have denied that their clients planned or led an attack on the Capitol, and also argued at times that they were victims of selective prosecution and are being targeted because of their political beliefs.

Tarrio's attorney, Sabino Jauregui, told jurors Thursday that his client was being made a scapegoat because he "wrote and sent a lot of offensive things."

“Speaking what you think is not illegal in this country yet,” he continued, before closing with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Rehl's lawyer, Carmen Hernandez said her client came to the nation's capital simply to protest. “I submit to you that Mr. Rehl came to DC to exercise his First Amendment rights,” she told the jury.

Nick Smith, a lawyer for Nordean, who led a Proud Boys chapter in Washington, told juros they would see no evidence of a “complicated, long-running plot.”

“What you will see in the Telegram chats is a bunch of text messages that are tempting you to find guilt based on your dislike of these people,” he said. “Do not take the bait.”

Pezzola's lawyer, Roger Roots, downplayed the attack on the Capitol that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College ballots.

“Believe it or not this entire case is about a six-hour delay of Congress,” Roots told the jury. “The government makes a big deal out of this six-hour recess.”

The seditious conspiracy case is the second of its kind to go to trial.

In November, a jury in the same courthouse convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and Kelly Meggs, another member of the far-right organization, of seditious conspiracy. Three other members of the group were found not guilty of the charge. All five defendants were convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting for their actions on Jan. 6. They’re expected to be sentenced in late May.

The seditious conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years behind bars.

Tarrio — who was ordered to stay out of D.C. before Jan. 6 — met with Rhodes and other members of the Oath Keepers the day before the attack, prosecutors said.

The Proud Boys trial was originally scheduled for August but was delayed after information relating to some of the defendants emerged during the hearings held by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, including that the panel had interviewed Tarrio.

After lawyers for Biggs and Pezzola contended the transcripts were “must-haves” before the trial got underway, the government agreed and joined in the defense's request to postpone the trial until they obtained information from the House committee.

The case was expected to go to trial earlier this week, but was delayed in part because one of Biggs’ lawyers, Norm Pattis, had his legal license suspended for six months last week after he was accused of improperly releasing Sandy Hook files while representing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones in a defamation suit.

Pattis, who contended that the release was an "innocent mistake," had asked Judge Timothy Kelly to allow him to remain on the case while he appeals his suspension, but relented on Wednesday, asking to withdraw because of differences with his co-counsel. Kelly formally rejected the request on Thursday. Pattis' co-counsel, John Daniel Hull, is also facing a separate conflict of interest, but Kelly allowed him to remain on the team after he signed a waiver.

As Thursday's proceedings drew to a close, Pattis told the judge he had received a stay of his suspension, meaning he is able to practice law again.

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• Steven Matthew Driscoll Pointed Gun at Migrants: Cops

Texas Man Allegedly Pointed Gun at Migrants, Said He ‘Was Doing it For America’

A Texas man is behind bars after he allegedly held multiple migrants at gunpoint on New Year’s Eve and said he was “doing it for America.” Steven Matthew Driscoll, 27, was taken into custody last Wednesday and charged with one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct – displaying a firearm, and evading arrest in a motor vehicle, records reviewed by Law&Crime show.

A federal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas also charged Driscoll with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. In 2018, Driscoll was convicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to three years in a state prison.

According to a press release from the El Paso Police Department (EPPD), officers at approximately 10:34 p.m. on Dec. 31 responded to a 911 call regarding an adult male allegedly harassing migrants. While on the line with the emergency dispatcher, the caller then stated that the man had a gun.

Upon arriving at the scene, first responders searched the area but were unable to locate the suspect.

A few hours later, at approximately 12:37 a.m. on Jan. 1, the same person called 911 a second time to report that they’d spotted the suspect driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck near the Greyhound bus station on Santa Fe Street where he also allegedly pointed a handgun at several migrants.

According to a copy of the federal complaint obtained by Law&Crime, Driscoll brandished the weapon at a “warming station” in downtown El Paso and was overheard saying that “he was doing it for America” before fleeing the scene in his vehicle.

Officers responded to the area and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle identified by the 911 caller.

The officers stopped the suspect’s truck and asked the driver to exit the vehicle, the department said. The suspect initially exited the truck, but then “jumped back into the vehicle and fled,” according to the press release.

“Because of a mechanical issue, the police unit became disabled and lost sight of the suspect,” the department said.

The following day, investigators were able to locate the Chevy Silverado and allegedly identified one of Driscoll’s relatives – his uncle – as the registered owner of the vehicle. EPPD then obtained an arrest warrant for the relative.

“However, when EPPD arrived at the residence to arrest the relative, Driscoll exited the residence and stated that he knew why EPPD was there and that his uncle gave him the truck for work,” the federal complaint states. “EPPD then observed, in plain view, what appeared to be a rifle in the above-mentioned vehicle parked in front of the residence on the street.”

In subsequent interviews with investigators, Driscoll allegedly admitted to being in possession of a firearm despite knowing that possessing a gun was illegal due to his previous felony conviction. He also allegedly admitted to intentionally evading law enforcement because he had a firearm in his vehicle when he was stopped by police.

“FBI El Paso has been working closely with El Paso Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit (EPPD-SIU) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to investigate the individual involved in the alleged harassment incident that occurred in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2023,” Special Agent Jeanette Harper, a public affairs officer for the FBI’s El Paso field office wrote in an email to Law&Crime. “FBI El Paso, EPPD, and ATF want to ensure the community there is no longer an immediate threat and would like to thank the concerned citizens for their phone calls. As the review continues, if information comes to light of potential federal civil rights violations, the FBI is prepared to investigate.”

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documen...-complaint.pdf

What of government as a principle terrorist organization?
Very real. Very twisted and manipulated.

Something that we should explore deeper with strong conviction.
Questioning and challenging the usual conventional and mind numbing narratives should be instinctive for lucid beings.....yet it's not.


Red pill?
Blue pill?

fvck off jeff

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He faces a five-year maximum for each communications count and a two-year maximum for each phone call count

• Ohio man charged in Arizona for threatening elections official

An Ohio man will face federal charges for allegedly threatening to kill an elections official in Arizona, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced Wednesday.

Joshua Russell, a 44-year-old from Bucyrus, Ohio, allegedly left three threatening voicemail messages for an election official from the Arizona Secretary of State’s office, whose name was redacted in the DOJ announcement.

“We will not endure your crimes on America another day. … We will not wait for you to be drugged through court. A war is coming for you. The entire nation is coming for you. And we will stop, at no end, until you are in the ground,” reads one of the voicemail transcripts, according to the indictment.

In another, Russell allegedly accuses the official of being a “traitor” and “enemy of the United States” and threatens that “your days … are extremely numbered.”

“America’s coming for you, and you will pay with your life,” a third voicemail says.

A federal grand jury in Phoenix returned the indictment for Russell Wednesday, and Russell has been charged with three counts of making a threatening interstate communication — and three counts of making a threatening interstate telephone call.

He faces a five-year maximum for each communications count and a two-year maximum for each phone call count, according to the DOJ.

People sure can do some crazy things. Mr. Russell seems to have gone a long way down the rabbit hole.

^Most of these individuals that have been convicted tend to have anti-social values. They are not all there

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sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison

• East Helena man gets 3 years, 10 months for actions during Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

Jerod Hughes, 39, has been sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison for his actions during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Hughes and his brother Joshua Hughes from East Helena were some of the first rioters to breach the Capitol that day, according to the Department of Justice.

On Friday in Washington D.C., Federal District Court Judge Timothy Kelly handed down his ruling. In addition to prison, Jerod Hughes will have to pay $2,000 in restitution.

The Hughes brothers pleaded guilty to Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting on August 25. In November, Judge Kelly sentenced Joshua Hughes to three years and two months in prison.

The Hughes brothers were in the nation’s capital to attend Former President Trump’s rally objecting to the certification of election results. The Department of Justice say the day before, Jerod texted a friend quote “Stay tuned buddy. Trump is gonna drop the hammer or we are.”

After Trump spoke the brothers made their way to the Capitol with the advancing mob. Video captured the men climbing scaffolding which allowed them to get closer to the front. They made their way with the advancing crowd that was pushing against, and broke through police barricades.

Hughes watched as other rioters broke a window near the Senate Wing Door on the west side of the building and then entered through that broken window at 2:13 p.m. Prosecutors say he was the eighth rioter to breach the Capitol that day and was recorded attempting to kick a door open that allowed more rioters to enter.

The brothers were at the front of the crowd as it moved through the Capitol. They quickly encountered Officer Eugene Goodman who led rioters away from the Senate Chambers, which was still being evacuated at the time.

In a confrontation with police that was recorded, Jerod can be heard shouting “they can’t stop us” and “There’s a **** army behind us! You guys don’t want this!”

Around a half hour later at 2:44 p.m., Hughes entered the Senate Gallery. He left shortly after entering and went to the Senate Chamber floor with his brother. He walked among the senators’ desks for approximately two minutes. Jerod Hughes and his brother left the building at approximately 2:51 p.m.

Prosecutors say Jerod Hughes texted friends that day about entering the Capitol with one of Hughe’s responses to friends saying “Not enough people followed us in to hold the place. We had to get the **** out.”

On Jan. 11, 2021, the Hughes brothers voluntarily turned themselves in to Helena Police after seeing news reports that the FBI was trying to identify them. Jerod Hughes gave his cell phone to investigators who retrieved the text messages.

In court filings, Hughes’ lawyer said the East Helena man sincerely regrets his involvement with Hughes initially believing those actions were patriotic, but now feeling duped and taken advantage of by former President Trump.

The defense also said that Hughes and his family are paying a heavy price for "being misled and manipulated."

Jerod Hughes is the fourth known Montana resident to be sentenced for alleged actions taken at the U.S. Capitol during the riot.

dangerous weapon carry a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years. The charge of unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds or buildings carries a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years. The charges of entering and remaining on the floor of Congress and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building carry up to 6 months. All charges carry potential financial penalties.

• Joshua Matthew Black Found Guilty for Jan. 6 Charges

Alabama Man Found Guilty for Jan. 6 Charges, Had Posted YouTube Video Admitting to Bringing Knife and Claiming ‘Spirit of God’ Wanted Him to Breach Senate

Joshua Matthew Black, a 46-year-old Alabama man, was found guilty on Friday of multiple charges related to his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, with prosecutors aided by incriminatory social media content posted by Black and others.

“Once we found out Pence turned on us and they had stolen the election, like officially, the crowd went crazy,’’ said Black. “I mean, it became a mob. We crossed the gate…We just wanted to get inside the building. I wanted to get inside the building so I could plead the blood of Jesus over it. That was my goal.”

On the video, Black described approaching the door to the Senate chamber. “I just felt like the spirit of God wanted me to go in the Senate room, you know. So I was about to break the glass and I thought, no, this is our house, we don’t act like that. I was tempted to, I’m not gonna lie. ‘Cause I’m pretty upset. You know? They stole my country.”

He admitted to bringing a weapon with him, saying that he “wasn’t planning on pulling it” but carried a knife because he was used to doing so in his work with a lawn service and “you’re not allowed to carry guns in D.C. and I don’t like being defenseless.”

The judge presiding over Black’s case, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, has scheduled his sentencing hearing for May 5, 2023. According to the DOJ’s press release, Black is facing multiple years in prison in addition to potential fines

Ex-New Mexico state GOP candidate arrested in shootings at Democrats' homes

Albuquerque police said Monday they have arrested Solomon Peña, an unsuccessful Republican candidate in the last state House elections, in connection with recent shootings at the offices and homes of elected Democratic officials.

Driving the news: Peña, who ran as a candidate for the House District 14 seat in the South Valley, was arrested at a residential building near the ABQ BioPark in Albuquerque after a standoff with a SWAT team following police concerns that the suspect could be armed, a City of Albuquerque spokesperson confirmed to Axios.

• The building was the same address he gave to the New Mexico Secretary of State for his election campaign, per the Albuquerque Journal.
• Before the arrest, Journal reporters on the scene heard police say: "Solomon Peña, please come out with your hands up; we have the place surrounded."

For the record: Peña's arrest follows that of another suspect on Jan. 9 in connection with the six shootings that police believe targeted the Democratic officials.

What we're watching: Peña is accused of conspiring with and paying four other men to shoot at the homes of two county commissioners and two state legislators, per a tweet from Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina.

• Medina at a news conference Monday said "it is believed that [Peña] is the mastermind behind this."
• New Mexico court records did not list an attorney for Peña as of late Monday.

Context: Albuquerque police had been investigating the shootings that began on Dec. 4, when Bernalillo County Commissioner Adriann Barboa's home was targeted.

• Police said multiple shots were fired at the home of former commissioner Debbie O’Malley a week later and then at the home of state Sen. Linda Lopez on Jan. 3 and also at the office of state Sen. Moe Maestas on Jan. 5.
• It later emerged that the campaign headquarters of Raúl Torrez, New Mexico's newly elected attorney general, and the house of incoming N.M. House Speaker Javier Martinez, had also been targeted last month.

Background: After losing his election by a wide margin, Peña tweeted that he wasn't conceding the race. Police allege that he also visited three of the targeted officials' homes unannounced to complain the election was fraudulent.

Flashback: Peña in November posted online a photo of himself with the comment: "This is one of the last pictures I have of the Jan 06 trip. I lost that phone at the Trump rally in Phoenix, July 2021. Make America Great Again!"

What they're saying: Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) in a statement Monday commended law enforcement and the District Attorney’s Office's actions following Peña's arrest.

• "There is no place in our society or our democracy for violence against any elected official or their families, and I trust the justice system will hold those responsible for such attacks to full and fair account," Grisham added.
• The Republican Party of New Mexico said in a statement that the allegations against Peña are serious "and he should be held accountable if the charges are validated in court."

little more

Congressional threat investigations finally fell in 2022

Investigations into threats against members of Congress decreased last year for the first time since former President Trump took office in 2017, according to data released by the Capitol Police on Tuesday.

The big picture: The number of threat assessment cases remains startlingly high — nearly double what it was five years ago — which congressional security officials chalked up to inflammatory political rhetoric.

Driving the news: Capitol Police opened 7,501 investigations into direct threats and "concerning statements" towards lawmakers, down from 9,625 in 2021 — the year of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the department said in a press release.

Billie Davis Stabbed Woman for Being Asian: Police

Indiana Woman Allegedly Stabbed 18-Year-Old Asian Student, Called Her ‘One Less Person to Blow Up Our Country’

An Indiana woman allegedly stabbed another for being Asian. Billie R. Davis, 56, tried to kill the 18-year-old woman on a city bus in Bloomington on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

“The assault reportedly occurred when the bus stopped at the intersection of W 4th Street and the B-Line Trail,” cops wrote. “A witness that had been on the bus at the time the assault occurred followed the suspect on foot and provided responding officers with updated locations of the suspect until officers arrived in the area and detained the woman.”

Officers said they found the 18-year-old victim and called for an ambulance because she was bleeding from the head.

“The victim reported to investigators that she had been riding the Bloomington Transit bus and had stood up to exit the bus on 4th Street at the B-Line Trail,” officers wrote. “She said that as she was standing and waiting for the bus doors to open, another passenger on the bus began to strike her repeatedly in the head, which resulted in immediate pain. The suspect also exited the bus and began to walk towards Kirkwood Avenue.”

Davis, a Bloomington woman, was booked into jail originally just for battery, but doctors determined the 18-year-old woman had received multiple stab wounds to the head, police said.

“Investigators were able to access camera footage from inside the bus which captured the assault,” officers wrote. “The footage showed that the suspect and victim had no interactions prior to the suspect stabbing the victim multiple times in the head as the victim waited for the bus doors to open.”

Surveillance footage showed that neither woman interacted with each other before the stabbing, according to documents obtained by WXIN. Instead, Davis allegedly pulled a folding knife from her own pocket and stabbed the victim seven times. Then she put the knife in her pocket and returned to her seat, officers said.

Investigators spoke to Davis again while she was in jail. The alleged motive was racism. Davis allegedly said she did it for the victim “being Chinese,” and this “would be one less person to blow up our country.”

Authorities added a charge of attempted murder.

Three active duty US Marines charged for participation in Jan. 6 riot

Three active duty U.S. Marines were charged this week with misdemeanors for breaking into the U.S. Capitol during the rioting on Jan. 6, 2021, as a far-right mob sought to overturn certification of the 2020 election.

The FBI charged Micah Coomer, Dodge Dale Hellonen and Joshua Abate with four misdemeanor accounts, according to court documents unsealed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The charges are related to disorderly conduct while intending to disrupt government business, entering a restricted building and parading or picketing on the U.S. Capitol grounds.

All three Marines were caught on video inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 along with a mob of former President Trump’s supporters, according to an FBI affidavit.

At one point, they placed a red MAGA hat on a statue inside the federal building and posed for photos with it, the FBI said.

All three defendants were allegedly identified through video footage that was paired with identification records, including driver’s licenses.

Agents also identified Coomer after he posted Instagram photos of the riot and allegedly wrote that he was “glad to be apart of history.”

In a Jan. 31, 2021, conversation with another user on Instagram, Coomer allegedly wrote that the 2020 election was unfair and “that everything in this country is corrupt,” expressing a desire for a “fresh restart” and also making a reference to a second civil war.

All three defendants were arrested on Wednesday, according to the FBI. Coomer was taken into custody in Oceanside, Calif., where Camp Pendleton is based.

Abate was arrested in Ft. Meade, Md., where there is a military base, and Hellonen was arrested in Jacksonville, N.C., where Camp Lejeune is located.

I assume they're going to be heaved out of the marines. Dumb-arses.

The 56 year old Indiana woman might have some serious mental health issues. Whatever, she's going to be doing a lot of time.

Originally Posted by 39TG

People sure can do some crazy things. Mr. Russell seems to have gone a long way down the rabbit hole.

Like most trump supporters, the man is a "Genius"
Not only did he threaten to kill someone, but made sure to record it.
Way to go Idaho! (for those that don't get the reference, Line is from Toy Story and "Idaho" is Mr Potato Head)

sentenced today to 78 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered 36 months of supervised release, a $5,000 fine and $2,000 restitution.

• Mississippi Man Sentenced For Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

A Mississippi man, who also briefly lived in California, was sentenced today to 78 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

James McGrew, 40, of Biloxi, Mississippi and Carlsbad, California, pleaded guilty on May 13, 2022, in the District of Columbia, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell ordered 36 months of supervised release, a $5,000 fine and $2,000 restitution.

According to court documents, McGrew engaged in a series of confrontations with law enforcement officers on Jan. 6. He was part of a crowd that overwhelmed law enforcement officers attempting to prevent rioters from advancing further on the restricted grounds. He proceeded to an area outside the Upper West Terrace doors to the Capitol Building. He shot video of the scene, shouting “let’s go” approximately 14 times, and “we took this thing.”

McGrew entered the Capitol at 2:45 and moved to the Rotunda, where officers were attempting to clear rioters out of the building. At approximately 3:05 p.m., he pushed one officer and struck another officer who was standing before him. Two minutes later, another officer used his baton to push McGrew and others closer to the exit. McGrew struck the officer and lunged for the officer’s baton. He then engaged in an altercation with yet another officer. Officers eventually pushed McGrew and others out of the Rotunda, and he exited the building at 3:22 p.m.

About 45 minutes later, however, McGrew joined in an attack against officers attempting to secure the Lower West Terrace tunnel entrance to the building. At approximately 4:13 p.m., another rioter in the crowd handed McGrew a wooden handrail with metal brackets attached, almost the same height as McGrew. McGrew positioned the handrail over his head and launched it into the tunnel, throwing the end with the metal brackets towards the law enforcement officers. The handrail appeared to hit the shield or visor of an officer. McGrew then joined in more pushing, gaining access into the tunnel area until being pushed out by officers at approximately 4:20 p.m.

McGrew was arrested on May 28, 2021, in Glendale, Arizona.

The maximum sentence for seditious conspiracy — a rarely used Civil War era statute — is 20 years in federal prison.

• Four Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack

A jury on Monday convicted four members of the Oath Keepers of seditious conspiracy in the second batch of guilty verdicts related to the extremist group's efforts to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

In addition to the seldom-used charge of seditious conspiracy, the four — Roberto Minuta, Joseph Hackett, David Moerschel and Edward Vallejo — were convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and of conspiring to obstruct.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ordered the four to be placed under 24-hour house arrest with limited exceptions and limitations on internet usage until their sentencing, “notwithstanding the nature of these charges, which are undoubtedly serious.”

The jury started deliberations Thursday morning after a five-week trial.

Prosecutors said the four used a “perverted version of American history” to justify their actions on Jan. 6, 2021.

“Attacking the Capitol was a means to an end,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Manzo told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday. He said the group took advantage of the riot and seized the opportunity to fulfill their goal of preventing Congress from counting the electoral votes and confirming Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

“January 6 was just a battle. The full conspiracy was to stop the transfer of power,” Manzo said.

Prosecutors said Vallejo was staged at a Virginia hotel with a stockpile of rifles — which they have called a "Quick Reaction Force" — while Hackett, Moerschel and Minuta led groups to breach the Capitol.

The trial, which started Dec. 12, included testimony from Brian Ulrich, a member of the Oath Keepers’ Georgia chapter who had pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding. Ulrich testified that he took part in the storming of the Capitol because he wanted to stop the counting of the Electoral College votes.

“There’s no other reason to go in that building at that point,” Ulrich said.

• Judge: Jan. 6 rioter who broke into Capitol followed "Trump's instructions"

A federal judge said Tuesday that a California woman who breached the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection "followed then-President Trump’s instructions" in breaking the law.

Driving the news: Danean MacAndrew, who traveled to D.C. from California for Trump's rally and filmed herself storming the Capitol with the mob of pro-Trump supporters, was found guilty on charges including violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building after a three-day bench trial.

What they're saying: Before the Jan. 6, 2021, rally on Jan. 6, MacAndrew tweeted at him "that she too felt that '[t]raps had been set' in the '#RiggedElection' of 2020," District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly wrote in the 18-page opinion. "And at the 'Stop the Steal' rally, then-President Trump eponymously exhorted his supporters to, in fact, stop the steal by marching to the Capitol.

• "Defendant marched to the Capitol where, she testified, she understood that only Congress had the power to fix the election’s outcome and that Congress was likely in session while she was around and in the Capitol," Kollar-Kotelly said.
• "Every step of the way, from the western boundary of Capitol grounds, to the West Lawn, to the Upper West Terrace, to the interior of the Capitol itself, she saw sign after sign that her presence was unlawful," Kollar-Kotelly said. "Nevertheless, heeding the call of former President Trump, she continued onwards to 'stop the steal.'
• "Having followed then-President Trump’s instructions, which were in line with her stated desires, the Court therefore finds that Defendant intended her presence to be disruptive to Congressional business."

The big picture: Kollar-Kotelly's words echo rhetoric in the House Jan. 6 select committee's final report, which alleges that Trump engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 Presidential election."

• Other Jan. 6 defendants have also blamed Trump and accused him of giving "presidential orders" to attack the Capitol.
• At his first broadcast-network appearance since Capitol riot, former Vice President Mike Pence told ABC's "World News Tonight" that Trump's actions during the insurrection meant he "decided to be part of the problem."

What he's saying: Trump has maintained that the report and its allegations are a political witch hunt. Representatives for the former president did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.