January 6 Rioters - Part X - "The First Battle of the War" (363-420)

 

“THE FIRST BATTLE OF THE WAR”

PART X

 (Rioters #363-420)

__________ 

“Myself I may contradict. The truth I do not.” 

Montaigne.

__________

 

 

FOLLOWING A BRIEF PAUSE, to subtract one “rioter” from our list, the former #363, at the end of Part IX, who turned out to be bragging about his role in the riot, we begin our search again. 

Who were these rioters?

What exactly led them to attack the nation’s capital, as they surely did?

 

“War is coming.” 

363. ANTHONY MICHAEL PUMA: According to court documents, on December 31, 2020, Mr. Puma posted to Facebook: “On the 6^th when we are all there in the capital and he is givin (sic) his second term the people will see. Then you never know we might have to start killing some commie bastards. #stopthesteal.” 

Hoping, perhaps, to get in on the killing, Puma and several friends hopped in a car on the morning of January 5 and headed for Washington D.C. They arrived in time to hear President Trump speak about how, if the election stood, they wouldn’t have a country anymore. They then marched to the Capitol, as per instruction. Puma, at least, entered the building. 

(He had a GoPro camera strapped to his head.)

 

“War is coming,” he predicted the day before the riot. 

Interviewed by authorities, he admitted he saw rioters wearing body armor and helmets. He also saw people attacking police, “using chairs and pieces of railing.” Puma was filming the scenes. In one of several videos he made, a group of five rioters pass Puma, who is still outside at that point. They are wearing gas masks, and helmets marked with green tape. 

Still fired up, a day later, Puma noted that the “stormtroopers” defending the Capitol had been “assholes.” They “flash banged us and shot rubber bullets into the crowd.” 

And Trump still didn’t get a second term. Puma has since pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing for his crimes. 

At his sentencing hearing, his lawyer says Mr. Puma now feels “tricked and manipulated” by Mr. Trump. 

Or, as this blogger might say: No shit! 

The envelope please: Best Director in a Capitol Hill Riot Video goes to Anthony Michael Puma. Also: Nine months in prison. Sentenced on March 21, 2023, 868 days have now passed since the 2020 election. 

Trump is still lying, and insisting he won. 

Trump supporter, he believed in the “stolen election.”

 

* 

364. ELIAS IRIZARRY: The freshman honor student at The Citadel in Charleston, 19, gets charged with participating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Hey, he’s young. He’s in college. Maybe he’s the elusive “Antifa” type we’ve been searching for… 

Nope. He’s a member of the Republican Society at his school. (See also: Elliott Bishai, #403.) 

Or should we say, “was.” 

He gets kicked out in the wake of his arrest. The head of the club rightly says in a statement that, “The events that transpired on January 6 were an attack on our democracy and we must, as Americans, stand for the rule of law regardless of our political affiliation or beliefs.” So there’s still hope for the sane members of the Republican Party. 

(Not counting Trump.) 

He has pled guilty and, for his foolish believe in the Orange God of Mar-a-Lago, spends fourteen days in lockup and gets fined $500.

Trump supporter.

 

* 

“YESTERDAY WAS A PRACTICE RUN” 

365. JOHN DOUGLAS WRIGHT: This 54-year-old from Canton, Ohio was promptly arrested and charged with breaking into the Capitol. The day after the riot, he admitted he had taken part, and warned, “Yesterday wasn’t the end. Yesterday was the first battle of the war. I promise you.” 

According to Channel 5 News, Cleveland, 

While looking through Wright’s social media channels, the FBI found statements such as “TODAY WE TAKE GEORGIA TOMORROW WE TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK (SOUND FAMILIAR)” posted on Jan. 5 and “YESTERDAY WAS A PRACTICE RUN” posted on Jan. 7.

 

Sound familiar? 

Sounds like Trump. 

Other Facebook messages he posted include: 

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGHT THE BLUE TOMORROW 

FROM WHAT I SEEN TONIGHT THE TEMPERS WILL BE UP TOMORROW AND POLICE LINES WILL BE BREACHED 

THE FIRST MISTAKE THEY MAKE IN CHAMBERS WE ARE GOING IN AND DRAG THEM OUT 

ALMOST WAR TIME 

In a superseding indictment, filed in December 2021, Mr. Wright was charged with nine counts, including assaulting police officers. 

We also learn later that Mr. Wright organized a bus ride – two busses – approximately 100 MAGA faithful – to travel from Ohio to D.C., in time for the riot. Cost: $50 per person. They arrived just in time to join in all the fun, and walked straight to the Capitol on January 6. 

On March 6, 2023, Wright, 56, learns the cost of his riotous behavior. He will be spending his sixtieth birthday behind bars. Sentence: 49 months in prison, 36 additional months on probation, fined $2,000. 

Trump supporter, ready for violence.

 

*

__________ 

“Fuck, they were subjected to four-plus years of goddamn propaganda the likes of which the world has not seen since fucking Hitler.” 

Albert Watkins, lawyer for one of the rioters

__________ 

 

ON JULY 16, 2021, CBS reports that 18 defendants out of more than 500 have plead guilty, including 13 charged with misdemeanors. Six, including three Oath Keepers, have agreed to cooperate with investigators. Forty have been charged with conspiracy and face the stiffest penalties. They include four Three Percenters, fifteen Proud Boys and sixteen Oath Keepers. And yet, on July 11, Rejected-President Trump was still insisting that the rioters “were peaceful people, these were great people.” 

He went on to inform Maria Bartiromo, of Fox News, that the listening “crowd was unbelievable” on January 6. “I mentioned the word ‘love,’ the love in the air,” Trump continued. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” The people who gathered on the Ellipse in the hours leading up to the attack loved him. “That’s why they went to Washington.” 

He added: “Too much spirit and faith and love, there was such love at that rally, you had over a million people.”

*

Romance in the air. Also tear gas. 

366. ANDREW TAAKE: Taake, 32, is the second poor schlub to get arrested after bragging about lending a hand in the riot on the dating website Bumble. This has got to suck. You come for the romance. 

The F.B.I. comes for you, instead. 

In fact, Taake was nailed in part after a young woman set out to see if she could locate anyone on Bumble who might have been involved. First, she deleted any information on her profile that might indicate she was a liberal. Then she turned on the “conservative” filter to narrow the search. With what she later described as “comically minimal ego-stroking” she was able to get Andrew – among others – to talk about his part in the attack. 

Huff Post explains: 

They got to chatting. She made small talk, and basically tried to get Andrew thinking they were on the same page. Eventually, Andrew told Claire he was at the Capitol.

 

“Were you near all the action?” she asked. “Yes,” he replied. “From the very beginning.”

 

When Andrew claimed he’d stopped “agitators” who “were clearly antifa people” during the attack, Claire stayed in character and kept pushing for more info.

 

“Wait wow they were in the crowd? That’s wild, how could you tell?” she asked.

 

Andrew continued mansplaining his conspiracy theories about how undercover left-wingers had actually been responsible for the actions of the pro-Trump mob.

 

“Majority of the people attacking police and smashing windows were all antifa. They just threw on a Trump hat or shirt they bought on the street,” Andrew told Claire. “They have had this planned out for weeks.”

 

Andrew continued to open up, sending Claire an image of himself he said he’d taken about a half-hour before being “sprayed.” He was “just standing there” when an officer sprayed him, he claimed.

 

Prosecutors say video from the day of the attack shows Taake pepper spraying police and using a “whip-like self-defense tool” to strike officers. And that is how you don’t impress the ladies, but do get charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors. 

In fact, it is also how you get arrested in July 2021, and held in prison until trial. It takes another eighteen months (time-served at sentencing, at least), but five days before Christmas, 2023,Taake pleads guilty to assaulting police. 

At that point, 1,142 days have passed since the last election and STILL not a single court has found evidence of significant voter fraud in 2020. Taake is likely to be stuck, date-less, in jail for some time to come.

 

UPDATE (June 13, 2024): A Victim Statement by a police officer who fought off the mob that day, is entered into the Taake sentencing document. He recalls having to enter what he describes as “the ring of fire.” 

 

As for the defendant, he gets sentenced to 74 months in prison. So he’ll miss his chance to vote for Donald Trump in November. In fact, he won’t be voting in 2028, either. As a bonus, he will spend three additional years on probation. 

And he owes $2,000. 

As an added “bonus,” at the time of the riot, Taake was out on bond in a 2016 case involving online solicitation of a minor. 

Right-winger, violent.

(CLAIMED TO SEE ANTIFA.) 

 

* 

367. LANDON MANWARING: According to the charging document in his case, Landon traveled to D.C. with his mother “to attend rallies in support of former President Donald Trump.” 

They listened to a speech on the evening of Jan. 5, where they were told the plan the next day was to march to the Capitol “to attempt to influence the Senate while the Senate tallied the votes of the Electoral College.” At around 2:23 p.m. on January 6, mother and son did join the crowd as it advanced on the halls of Congress. 

Both entered the building. 

On May 2, 2022, the Utah man agreed to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor count. He gets 30 days in jail, an additional 35 months on probation, and an order to hand over $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

The family that riots together stays together.

368-372: THOMAS and DAWN MUNN, and children, KRISTI, JOSHUA and KAYLI: The family that riots together stays together. All five Munns were charged with illegally entering the Capitol and disorderly conduct. A tip from a relative of Kristi Munn’s fiancé led to their arrest. 

In December, Thomas Munn posted a call to action on Facebook: “Our President has asked two things from us so far ...#1 Vote #2 January 6, 2021.” 

(#3: Smash up Congress?)

 

FUN FACT: The lawyer for the Munns says that she had another client charged in the riot who said he wanted to invoke “the Constitution of 1776” in his defense. She pointed out that the Constitution was adopted many years later. He insisted he had done his research and she was wrong. 

Once again, we learn: It helps to be ill-informed, if you’re going to be a Trump fan. In court documents, a photo is entered into evidence, showing the Munn family trailer with stickers reading “D.C. bound,” and “We are Q.” 

All five Munns end up pleading guilty in April or May 2022. I for one am hoping the judge sentences them all to six months of home confinement. 

For punishment, I think the judge should order them all to watch at least eight hours per day of the Hallmark Channel. 

(No such luck: Mom and Dad get fourteen days behind bars, each. Kristi, the mother of three children of her own, gets 90 days of home confinement. Joshua and Kayli get probation.) 

Trump supporters (dad), (mom), (Kristi), (Joshua), (Kayli),

The Riotous Clan.

 

* 

“You know, he hears us.”

373-374. JAMIE N. BUTEAU and JENNIFER PECK BUTEAU: Add this Florida couple to the list of people convicted for their participation in the January 6 attack. Jamie was charged with throwing a chair at police officers during the riot. 

His wife faced lesser charges, having contented herself with spitting on police, in an effort to show her love for America. 

Previously, the duo appeared in a video about QAnon, during which Jamie talked about attending a rally for President Trump in 2018. Mr. Buteau told a reporter he was holding a “Q” sign, and believed Trump sent a signal by pointing to him. Trump “validates it [QAnon] by doing those little things, letting us know that, you know, he hears us.” 

What the world hears on July 24, 2023, on the 993^rd day since Trump lost the 2020 election, was Mr. Buteau plead guilty to felony assault of a police officer, and Mrs. Buteau pleading to a misdemeanor. 

What the world then hears next, on November 20, 2023, is a judge sentencing Jamie to 22 months behind bars, with Jennnifer getting only three. 

Their daughter speaks in behalf of her mom and dad at sentencing, admitting that they had “fallen down a “conspiracy rabbit hole.” 

“There’s considerable truth to that,” the judge remarked, and gave the couple relatively light punishments, compared to what prosecutors wanted. He also called Mr. and Mrs. Buteau victims of other people’s lies. 

Cough, cough: Trump.

 

Mrs. Buteau would later say, “I didn’t know about the Capitol, until Trump said go to the Capitol.” 

Trump supporter, Q Anon (Jamie). 

Trump supporter, Q Anon (Jennifer).

 

* 

Mama’s boy.

 375. NATHAN WAYNE ENTREKIN: Mr. Entrekin joined the ranks of the arrestees after he showed up for the riot dressed like the angel Moroni, of Church of the Latter Day Saints lore. 

HuffPost mistakenly describes his costume as that of a “Roman gladiator.” 

Entrekin also narrated his role in the riot in videos he sent to his mother, with whom, unsurprisingly, he lives. “I’m here, Mom!” Entrekin says in one video. “This is my flag!” (See photo, below.) 

“Are we going up? This is a good workout. Forward, forward, forward,” he said, after climbing the Capitol Building stairs. “I made it, Mom. I made it to the top. Mom, look, I made it to the top, to the top here. Look at all the patriots here. Haha, if I can make it up that, anybody can.” 

“I’m here for Trump. Four more years, Donald Trump! Our rightful president!” Entrekin yips. 

Once inside, he keeps narrating: 

“This is our house! Wow, Mom. I wish you were here with me. It’s really exciting in here. It’s joyful and it’s sad at the same time. We can’t let Biden ... to be our president. We can’t ... there’s no way.” 

No word, whether or not the defendant will be shouting, “our house,” in jail, where he will have 45 days to ponder his mistakes. Mom, your boy will also spend the next three years on probation. 

Trump supporter.

Mama's boy dressed for a riot.

 

* 

Breaking the people who had been arrested out of prison.

376. FI DUONG (a.k.a. “The Monkey King”): If Entrekin (#375) was a “mama’s boy” and Jacob Chansley (#101) was on the autism spectrum, many rioters were dangerous in the extreme. “Love,” as Trump tried to claim, had nothing to do with their decision to march on the U.S. Capitol and stop the certification of the electoral votes. That is: to halt democracy in its tracks. 

Duong was wearing two kinds of masks during the attack. On the morning of the riot, however, he introduced himself to an undercover member of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. 

The undercover officer introduced Duong to an undercover F.B.I. agent, and in the wake of that riot, Duong and the F.B.I. agent communicated for months. As USA Today explains, Duong hosted the agent at Bible studies meetings where they discussed guns, militia-style training activities, and plans for Virginia to secede from the union and become the state of Appalachia. 

According to his indictment, Duong’s nascent militia group continued to surveil the Capitol for months, in the aftermath of the riot. At one meeting at his home, Duong asked a member of the Three Percenters to speak. Duong admitted at that meeting that he had been at the Capitol, but wearing a mask. The F.B.I. says his presence was later confirmed on surveillance video. Duong got his hands on an AK-47 and a suppressor and discussed the possibility of breaking the people who had been arrested out of prison. “It’s just a matter of figuring out where the prisons are and that should all be public information.” A little loving gunfire should do the trick. 

According to prosecutors Duong also discussed testing Molotov cocktails and appeared ready to go to war against federal agents if they came looking. “I believe Duong meant he was willing to barricade himself in his residence in defiance of law enforcement commands,” an informant wrote, “and was willing to die in this standoff in a similar manner to the standoff in Waco, Texas with David Koresh.” 

Duong’s charging document listed four unidentified associates, all apparently ready to kill in the name of Donald J. Trump. 

He seemed to be in serious legal jeopardy, having pleaded guilty to a felony, which might have earned him a twenty-year sentence. Instead, having spent three years on house arrest, at sentencing, he was placed on probation for three more years, and handed a bill for $2,000. 

“Fi deeply regrets his prior actions on January 6,” his lawyer explained to the judge. “Most deeply, he regrets the impact and harm his actions, and the last three years of house arrest, have had on his family. He is determined to never cause them any such harm or shame again.” 

Trump supporter, right-winger.

* 

“Here in America, we fight back.”

377. EDWARD FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ: Rodriguez, 26, showed up at the riot carrying a “Stop the Steal” sign.

Video showed him spraying a line of police with some kind of chemical irritant. Then he retreated into the crowd. At least eight officers were injured. 

Later, Rodriguez talked to a reporter and that talk ended up in a Reddit video. “Here in America, we fight back,” he says. “We will never surrender to dictatorship, corruption, communism or socialism. We the people will never put up with their bullshit.” 

“Bullshit” such as Democrats turning out seven million more votes. 

On December 1, 2021, the defendant’s legal problems escalated dramatically when a superseding indictment was issued. He then stood accused of having committed seven federal offenses, including one for felony assault, after fresh evidence clearly showed him spraying police. 

At a court hearing, on March 13, 2023, Mr. Rodriguez was represented by a public defender. He did not help his standing before the judge, when he admitted blasting police with bear spray. 

(Soon after the riot, he Googled, “what does bear spray do to humans?”)

 

After the judge explained the results of pleading guilty to a felony, the defendant said he might prefer to go to a bench trial. He puzzled it out with the help of his attorney and then copped to one felony. 

His reward for rioting? 

At his sentencing, Mr. Rodriguez said he was in a bad place at the time of the attack, that he had been “spending too much time reading crazy stuff online” and had become “disconnected from reality.” 

So, yes: A typical MAGA Head. 

The judge believed his defense, in part, that he had been swayed by an unceasing flood of Trump-affiliated entities sending him emails, which convinced him that he was being told to come to the Capitol and help save America. 

He went “easy” on the Rodriguez and sentenced him to only three years in prison. 

As for the idea, pushed hard by Trump apologists since the attack, that it was a peaceful protest, in a Victim Statement, one officer was having none of that. As Ryan J. Reilly reported on November 6, 2023: 

Officer Marina Bronstein was one of several of the officers sprayed by Rodriguez who appeared in court Monday. Bronstein, who was identified in court by prosecutors, wrote in a signed statement that she “will never forget how we fought to save the Capitol and the lives of those elected to serve our country” and that she still lives with the scars of that day.

 

“I remember the minute I went to hold a bike rack and was sprayed with bear spray while being yelled at by Trump supporters. I continued to get sprayed, yelled at, punched and shoved, and it continued for several minutes,” she wrote. “When I couldn’t see anymore, I went to get decontaminated. I went back to the bike rack line and continued to get sprayed as I fought back multiple Trump supporters.”

 

Bronstein said she suffered a concussion, a back injury, a deviated septum, a broken tooth and multiple bruises on Jan. 6. “My eyes continued to burn for about a week. I went to the doctors for my eyes and my back. I continue to go the chiropractor for my back,” she wrote. “I have migraines all the time and they can last for days or for weeks. I have nightmares and PTSD from this traumatic event. These injuries that I have from this horrific event have not stopped me from doing my duties as an officer.”

 

Bronstein had a chance to speak in court, as well, and told Rodriguez that while she forgave him, she could not forget what he and others like him did. 

Trump “sent us,” violent.

 

* 

Charged with murder.

378. SHANE JASON WOODS (a.k.a.: “Shane Castleman”) Woods, 43, clearly listened to years of President Trump claiming most members of the media were “enemies of the people. He was charged with  assaulting a member of the press during the riot. At one point, he tackled a cameraman. 

Woods is also charged with assaulting a police officer. 

According to court documents, Woods was at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in a large crowd of protesters who were congregated on the lower west terrace in the northwest corner of the building. Around 2:10 p.m., a U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officer was one among several sprayed with bear mace, which obstructed her vision. As the officer tried to pursue the individual who sprayed the bear mace, Woods can be seen in publicly available video running toward her. He then tripped the officer and pushed her to the ground.

 

Woods, 43, laid out his political position a month before the attack. When a Facebook friend said he wanted to see lawmakers who wouldn’t back efforts to overturn the results, “all those a**hats go to jail,” Woods responded. 

“Hung,” he suggested. He has plead guilty and awaits sentencing. 

In November of 2022, his legal problems became infinitely worse when he was charged with murder, after killing another driver. Allegedly intent on committing suicide, he drove the wrong way on I-55, in Chicago, and killed Lauren Wegner, 35, in a crash. His blood alcohol level at the time was .177, more than twice the legal limit in Illinois. Woods was also  fleeing arrest at the time. 

As for his punishment, related to his part in the January 6 riot, Woods gets 54 months in prison, followed by three years on probation. 

Trump supporter, violent.

  

* 

Attacking a cameraman for the Associated Press.

379. ALAN WILLIAM BYERLY: The 54-year-old from Pennsylvania was arrested and charged with attacking not only police on January 6, but a cameraman for the Associated Press. The cameraman told prosecutors that he was “pushed, shoved and dragged” down the Capitol Hill steps by Byerly and three others. 

Byerly was also accused of hitting at least three police officers and trying to use a taser on one. (It turned out, luckily for everyone involved, that the cheap stun gun Byerly had bought was almost useless.) 

Evidence against him showed him use the device on at least one officer, then have it knocked from his grasp, and recovered by another officer. Restrained at one point, Byerly escaped with the aid of another rioter. Later, he helped drag one police officer down a flight of stairs. 

“It is deeply troubling when journalists are targeted for simply doing their jobs,” a spokesman for the Associated Press noted. 

In October 2022, Byerly learned his fate: The father of four was sentenced to two years and ten months in prison, for his attack on police officers and AP cameraman Joseph Minchello. The 55-year-old Byerly told the judge, “I should never have gotten involved, and I’m deeply sorry for my actions.” 

He had already served fifteen months in prison, and admitted he was being an “antagonistic jerk” on January 6. He said he attacked the photographer because he thought he was a member of Antifa.  

(For tips on how to “lovingly” stifle the free press, see: China, in Hong Kong.) 

Trump supporter, violent.

(THOUGHT HE SAW ANTIFA.)

 

* 

380. Matthew Thomas Purse: Purse was seen on Capital surveillance dressed in a black tactical vest with the word “PRESS” on front and back. He also donned a black helmet with the word “PRESS” on both sides, and carried a recording device on a long pole. Authorities say there is no record of his receiving press credentials from anyone on January 6. Nor is there any record of his having been employed by any news organization in at least the last six years. 

On his own livestreaming website, authorities allege Purse admits as much. He’s not a member of the press. In one video he posts, he can be heard saying, “Mission accomplished, we broke into the Capitol.”  

He’s a likely Trump fan; but we’re not sure. We do know, in one video from that day, he decided it would be fun to harass an Israeli reporter, block his cameraman, and spew a few anti-Semitic slurs. 

 

And in a second video, Purse and another man decide to harass a Danish reporter who says she’s trying to do her job. 

Pulse, it sounds like, replies, “my job is to get in your face.”

 

(POLITICAL AFFILIATION NOT KNOWN.)

 

*

381. JOSHUA DILLON HAYNES: Animosity toward the free press was a hallmark of the Trump presidency, and the same sickness was repeatedly manifested during the attack on Capitol Hill. 

Haynes was one of a group of people charged with helping to destroy tens of thousands of dollars of cameras and broadcasting equipment after they charged a media staging area on January 6. 

According to the F.B.I., Haynes picked up and slammed down several pieces of expensive equipment. Then, for emphasis, he stomped on one camera for fun. For some reason, he is also seen in video from the day helping to remove an air conditioning unit from a building outside the Capitol. 

According to prosecutors, Haynes admitted on social media that he had helped storm the building. That evening, he received a text, telling him not to “be like antifa tearing stuff up.” “Too late,” he replied, “broke lotsa stuff.” 

In other social media posts that day, Haynes bragged, “We attacked the CNN reporters and the fake news and destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of their video and television equipment.” 

He also sent this message to the same associate, “I want to get busted for tearing up the nations capital and the fake news.” 

As USA Today explained: 

In an interview with the FBI, Haynes stated he disagreed with force used by law enforcement officers on Jan. 6 to prevent Trump supporters from stopping the presidential election from being “stolen.” Haynes told the interviewing officers that he thought the rioters who used force against law enforcement officers on Jan. 6 were “heroes.” 

 

When interviewed by law enforcement officers, Haynes assured them he was not a member of the Proud Boys, but he had attended one of their meetings. 

In October 2022, he is convicted on felony charges and awaits sentencing. He pays, like so many others who believed the president’s lies. In February 2023, he is sentenced to 32 months in prison, and must pay $2,000 in restitution to the federal government. 

(Later, he is also hit with an order to pay $29,989.36 in restitution, in euros, for damaging foreign reporters’ equipment, but at a snail’s pace of only $20 per month.)

Right-wing type.

 

* 

382. GABIEL MORGAN BROWN: Mr. Brown was also arrested and charged with damaging camera equipment during the riot. 

Because all Trump fans hate the free press. Unless the free press practitioners love Donald J. Trump. 

Then:  Hugs and kisses for Tucker Carlson! 

Mr. Brown gave himself away, writing his name on a trailer outside the Capitol, and shouting “freedom” to make whatever point he was hoping to make. “I swore an oath to defend our liberty a long time ago, and that’s why I’m signing this,” he added. Then helped storm the building. 

Brown is described as a Proud Boys supporter, and a fan of various right-wing organizations. He pled guilty soon after he was arrested, and was sentenced, in the end, to 20 days behind bars, a year on probation, and fined $500.

Right-winger.

 

* 

383. ZVONIMIR JURLINA: Like Brown (above), Jurlina was charged with smashing up the equipment of the free press. 

An estimated $30,000 to $34,000 in cameras, tripods, phones, and broadcasting gear was destroyed, with Jurlina allegedly encouraging other rioters to steal anything that still looked like it would work. At one point, he talked about taking a microphone as a “souvenir” for himself. Then he suggested, “Yo, I guess we should loot now, right? This is pretty expensive equipment. I’m thinking making I should just grab it up and then go to a pawn shop.” In a video from that day (Jurlina made several himself) the defendant is heard to shout, “This is mother fucking America first. This is how we do it. No more fucking around.” 

Because nothing says, “America first” quite like attacking reporters and destroying their ability to show us what goes on. 

He had now pled guilty to one felony count, with sentencing scheduled for July 20, 2023. In a video he posted to social media, but has now removed, Jurlina addressed his hero in the White House. “I am a real American patriot,” he claimed. “But I would like to say, Donald Trump, please pay for my legal fees, because this all happened because of you.” 

Donald didn’t, of course, and Jurlina got 14 days in the cooler for his troubles, and got docked $500.

Trump supporter.

* 

Attacking the free press in the name of freedom.

384. SANDRA POMEROY WEYER: Ms. Weyer was arrested by the F.B.I. on June 28, 2021, and charged with a variety of riot-related crimes. That included encouraging and filming an attack on a journalist for the New York Times. 

Four or five men first cornered the reporter, reached inside her vest, and grabbed her press credentials. When they saw she worked for the Times, they seized her camera and knocked her to the ground. 

According to Weyer’s indictment, in the video she made, the victim can be heard screaming for about ten seconds in a stairwell inside the Capitol Building. When the reporter tried to retrieve her camera Weyer can be heard yelling, “F---ing traitor, get the f--- out” and “Get her out, mace her.” 

As the York Daily Record notes, 

On Jan. 7, an unnamed person texted Weyer this message: “Hope u guys had nothing to do with the riots they were all hoodlums and traitors,” according to the FBI. Weyer responded, according to the FBI: “I seen no riots. I saw Patriots sick of being lied to and the election being stolen from us! I saw no violence from the Patriots!”

 

Weyer has been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, disorderly and disruptive conduct and violent entry. She wasn’t charged in connection with the attack on the journalist, although the photographer was “anti-Trump, let’s put it that way. That’s why they removed her,” Weyer is heard saying in another video, the FBI reported. 

 

So, the months pass, and the rule of law prevails. Weyer opts to go to trial, as is her right. The trial does not go well – for her. On June 7, 2023, the 59-year-old is found guilty on five charges, including one felony. 

Jail is in her future.

 

UPDATE: Weyer, now 60, is sentenced on September 14, 1,045 days having passed since the 2020 election. Still no proof votes were stolen in significant numbers. As for Weyer, she’ll be in jail when it’s time to vote in 2024. Fourteen months in prison, a year more on probation, and $2,000 in fines and restitution.

Trump supporter, believed in “stolen election” myth. 

 

* 

385. TIMOTHY EARL O’MALLEY: Another member of the Proud Boys, the Fort Walton, Florida man was charged with misdemeanor trespass and disorderly conduct. He recorded himself inside the Capitol. 

He came ready to riot, with a red batting helmet on his noggin’ and a “Trump is my president” sticker affixed. 

In his video, he crows, “We took the Capitol. We’re moving on to other floors now. Whoo. Our house.” 

The Florida man gets off with a light punishment in the end: $500 in restitution, 20 hours of community service, and two years on probation. 

Trump supporter, right-wing.

 

* 

“Swept up by the Stop the Steal nonsense…pushed by the president.” 

386. DAVID MOERSCHEL: The Florida man communicated at great length with other Oath Keepers, before he participated in the riot. 

January 12, 2022: He and ten others are indicted for seditious conspiracy. See: Elmer Stewart Rhodes, et. al, #601. 

The wheels of justice turn slowly. But on January 23, 2023, Moerschel and three other Oath Keepers are convicted by a jury on the charge of seditious conspiracy. The jury deliberates for twelve hours, and also slaps Moerschel and his friends with two other conspiracy charges. 

Outside the courtroom, a lawyer for the four defendants tells reporters, “Obviously these men were swept up by the Stop the Steal nonsense that was pushed by the president.” Sadly, they’re going to jail. 

So far, Trump isn’t. 

On June 2, 2023, Moerschel is sentenced to three years in prison. 

Trump “sent us,” right-wing.

 

* 

No prior criminal record.

387. Mark Grods: The arrest of Grods, 54, an Alabama man, was announced on June 30, 2021. That same day authorities revealed that this member of the Oath Keepers had agreed to cooperate with investigators. As noted by the Washington Post, Grods “admitted to two federal counts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the obstruction of an official proceeding.” 

As part of his plea, Grods has admitted to taking part in an encrypted phone call with other members of the Oath Keepers, including founder Stewart Rhodes, to taking arms to Washington D.C., and to providing them “to another individual to store in a Virginia hotel,” ready to hand if violence exploded. 

In his plea agreement, Grods admits to committing two felonies – and agrees to pay $2,000, and risk a sentence somewhere between 51 and 63 months in prison. 

And he had no prior criminal record.

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE (11/23/23): On “X,” formerly known as Twitter, Ryan J. Reilly continues to track the stories of the rioters. According to court documents, Mr. Grods and six other Oath Keepers are already cooperating with investigators. Those others include Graydon Young (#220 on our list), Joshua James (#256), Jason Dolan (#279), Caleb Berry (#417), Brian Ulrich (#603) and William Todd Wilson (#623). 

Trump “sent us,” right-wing person, ready for violence.

 

* 

“Busted.” 

388. Jonathan Pollock: Jonathan showed up on January 6, 2021, dressed in a ballistic vest, wearing kneepads and gloves with plastic knuckles. 

As CBS explains, Pollock attacked three police officers in rapid succession: “He pulls one officer down a set of steps, knees and punches another in the face, then pivots and punches a third officer in the face and pushes that officer to the ground by holding and choking the officer’s neck. 

Then he leads a series of renewed attacks. 

He faced five charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, but rather than face arrest, he fled. 

In March 2022, authorities began offering a reward of $15,000 for information that might lead to the arrest of the 23-year-old, who had not been seen since the previous summer. 

On January 6, on the third anniversary of the attack, he was captured at a ranch in Florida. (There are “ranches” in Florida??) 

He should be facing a whole new set of charges, and he’s likely to be sitting in jail until trial. He won’t be voting in 2024. I think that’s a given. 

Trump supporter, violent.

 

* 

389. Associate 2: Pollock is assisted in attacking police by an unnamed person, identified in their indictment only as his brother. (I am guessing that this brother is a minor.) 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

390. Joseph Hutchinson III: An employee at the Pollock family gun shop, Hutchinson, 25, also aids in the attack. He and Pollock are accused of assaulting multiple officers on that day. 

On March 3, 2023, a bench warrant was issued for Hutchinson’s apprehension. He had removed his court-ordered GPS tracking device, and disappeared. He remained on the lam for the next ten months. On the third anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, the F.B.I. snared him, and two other fugitives, who were hiding out at a ranch in Florida. (See Jonathan Pollock, above.) 

UPDATE (August 1, 2024): Hutchinson has refused to have a lawyer and is “defending himself” at this time. During a recent court appearance, however, he complained because prosecutors had better computers and access to them than he had – while his dumb ass sits in jail. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

391. MICHAEL PERKINS: Perkins was accused of helping Pollock and others bulldoze police lines. When one officer was pulled alone into the crowd, several rushed to help. Perkins picked up a flagpole and jabbed it into one officer’s chest, then used the pole to club another in the back of the head. 

He asked for a bench trial, and in March 2023, he gets convicted on a variety of charges, including assault on multiple officers. 

On August 17, he learns that he will be spending the next four years in a federal lockup, or just as long behind bars as Trump spent in the White House. Not counting the hundreds of days Trump went off golfing. 

You can watch him, briefly, in action – and if you believe the rioters that day were all peaceful folk, you should. 

Trump supporter, violent.

 

* 

392. JOSHUA DOOLIN: Doolin, 22, also works for the Pollock family. On January 6 he carried a flagpole on his shoulder and advanced up the Capitol Hill steps, using the pole to menace police. He was turned back briefly by chemical spray. Later he could be seen in body-camera footage with zip-tie handcuffs tucked in his belt and a riot-control chemical canister, which “appears to belong to law enforcement,” slung over his shoulder. 

Doolin catches a break in December 2021, when Judge Carl Nichols rules he may remain free on bond ahead of his wedding, which takes place in January 2022. Federal prosecutors had asked for bail to be revoked, noting that Doolin had “zip-tie handcuffs tucked into his belt and was armed with a riot-control chemical canister” when he was at the Capitol on January 6. 

Doolin’s lawyers also asked that the GPS tracking device attached to his ankle be removed. Judge Nichols denied that request. 

Doolin is found guilty, after a bench trial, on March 15, 2023, and on August 16, he learns that he will be spending 18 months in prison. At the time of the riot, Doolin said he was not afraid to die on his birthday, if it meant saving America. 

At sentencing, Doolin said he still believed he was justified in what he had done, in an effort to save America. Sadly, he had fallen for Trump’s lies. He wasn’t saving anything. Now he’s going to waste a good chunk of his life in prison. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

“Rapture Guns & Knives”

393. Olivia Pollock: Jonathan Pollock’s sister, 30, follows Hutchinson during the attack. She can be seen carrying a flagpole with an American flag. She attempts to grab an officer’s baton, but is knocked back. As USA Today describes it, “She raises her hands in a fighting posture and elbows the officer in the chest, again trying to steal the baton.” In pictures from that day, she, too, is wearing a tactical vest. She and her brother, Hutchinson, Perkins and Doolin are charged with a long list of felonies and misdemeanors, and are believed to have acted in unison. 

As of March 3, 2023, Pollock has tampered with her court-ordered GPS tracking device and disappeared. A bench warrant has been issued. 

UPDATE: It will be ten months before she is apprehended, on the third anniversary of the terroristic attack on American democracy. Expect her to cool her Trump-loving ass in jail until trial. 

Trump supporter

 

The Pollock’s Lakeland, Florida gun shop is named “Rapture Guns & Knives” and advertises on Facebook: 

We are a local gun shop that sells both new and used firearms. We also offer CCW classes for law-abiding citizens interested in a Florida concealed carry license, reloading equipment and supplies, optics of various types, and quality ammunition. Our gun store also sells new and used knives for customers looking for hunting, utility, or collectible knives. And if you are in need of gun repair, come visit our expert gunsmiths.

 

On March 31, Gabe Pollock, the father, posts this message: 

Rapture Guns & Knives will be closed for Good Friday (4/2), and will be reopening on Saturday (4/3).

 

God loved us enough to come and die for us, so that we could spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

 

-Gabe

 

And I think we can all agree. Nothing quite captures the message of Jesus so much as selling guns and ammo and endeavoring to overthrow the government. 

* 

In a later search for information on the Pollock clan and friends, I turn up an interview, in which Tracey Eaton, a sympathetic journalist, interviews one of the Pollock sons: 

Benjamin Pollock, a gun store owner in Lakeland, Florida, worries that the United States is heading toward communism and urges Americans to stand up against what he sees as a “runaway” federal government.

 

“I see encroachment on the Second Amendment and I see people cowering down,” he said. “They’re talking about hiding their guns. They’re talking about burying their guns. And if it comes to that, you’ve lost. You’ve lost your country and you’re never going to dig those guns up.

“We look at countries around the world that have gone to communism, that have gone to socialism. And every time, the people are silent, the people don’t stand up and they don’t let their voice be heard. And so for right now, I feel like it is so important for people to get out there. And if you have an opportunity to go to a rally to let your voice be heard, now is the time that you need to get off the couch and to go out because our country is being taken away from us. And if we don’t do something about it, it’ll be gone.”

 

Eaton might have asked, “How, exactly, is the country being taken away?” For instance, the people who voted for Trump aren’t being expelled. They aren’t having their property seized. If they didn’t join the riot, have any other been arrested for voting or having a say in public? In fact, isn’t the interview she’s conducting at that very moment proof that freedom still rings?

Instead, she asks:  “And what has been the, the impact on your family of the federal government’s prosecution of people who went to the Capitol Building on Jan. 6?” 

Mr. Pollock replies, 

Fear, anger, frustration. I didn’t go, I was, I was one of the brothers that I was working, sadly, I didn’t, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to Washington to let my voice be heard. My prayers, my support was with my family as they went up there, but I didn’t get to go, and so, so when the repercussions came, when the FBI broke in, it was my wife. She didn’t know, because of the gun shop, the affiliation, you know, they’re my brother, they’re my family. You know, she didn’t know if there would be repercussions back on us, so she was, she was worried, you know, it was fear. I, my reaction was probably more anger. I was, I was angry, you know, this was unjust, uncalled for, this is a nation of justice, a nation of laws.

 

And, when you see these laws thwarted and, and just ignored, it, it causes, yeah, it’s frustrating and anger and that’s really what it was. And so, when I heard, heard that they were raiding my mom and dad’s house, I, yeah, to be honest, I was, I was angry. I was, I was frustrated. I was worried at the same time. Because I didn’t know to what extent when my sister called me, she was in tears. She thought everybody was dead. She, because she’d heard the flash bangs going off and she thought they were gunshots. And so I, we were on vacation. I jumped in my truck and head to my mom and dad’s house. We were about three hours away. So I had a long trip that I got to pray. And, just, to, to, yeah, just try and come to terms with what was going on, come to find out, no, that they weren’t dead, but it was, shocking to, to say that the amount of force that they use to arrest my sister. They were there to arrest my sister and the excess of force, it was, it was uncalled for, it was unjust, you know, and it was, you know, it was, I was mind blown by the amount of, you know, it didn’t make any sense.

 

I didn’t understand it. And so, as, as I got there to the house and got to talk to everybody, it made even less sense, you know, with the amount of force, because I heard talking to my sister over the phone as I’m driving, you’re just trying to, you’re getting little bits and pieces and, and then I get there and it, it, it’s sad to see where the country is at right now. This is something that you would, you would hear in like communist Russia or communist China. This is, this is something that they would have, methods that they would have implemented, political dissenters. They would show up at their house and, you know, they would disappear and thank goodness, that is not what happened with my sister. They did release her, but with some of the political prisoners, that is what happened. They haven’t been able to see their families. They haven’t been heard from, they haven’t even allowed, been allowed to be seen by their families. They’ve been locked in solitary confinement, some of them. And so, it’s, it’s scary and sad at the same time, to see where our country is right now and to see to what lengths they’re willing to go to, just to stomp out the insurrection, as they’re calling it.

 

Neither Mr. Ben Pollock, nor the other members of his family, nor their employees, one would assume, seem to realize that the laws of this nation haven’t been “thwarted” and they are still free to exercise their “voice.” They all voted (we assume), and Trump won the vote in Florida. Here in Ohio, I voted myself. And Trump won Ohio. And the laws weren’t being “thwarted.” We had mail-in ballots, and early voting, and Trump still won. That’s how elections go. Somebody wins. Somebody else loses. To this blogger’s knowledge, Joe Biden has never claimed fraud cost him the Sunshine State’s 29 electoral votes. He has never claimed the vote Ohio was “rigged.” And Ben and his siblings and their friends can use their “voices” to protest all they want. 

You just can’t punch a cop. 

Or try to overturn a vote, nationally, that courts and recounts have proven again and again, and again, and again, was fair. 

We should also assure the young man at Rapture Guns & Knives that no matter what he might think, the Second Amendment isn’t at risk. There are gun shops all across this great land and sales remain brisk. 

In fact, you could argue that gun shop owners, and gun-manufacturers working through the NRA, claiming that gun rights are at risk are working a scam to sell more weaponry than they are standing up for human rights.

 

* 

“CONgress will be forced to bow and be thrown out.”

394. Trevor Brown: Brown was grabbed by police during the riot, but released that night without charges. 

Mr. Brown is apparently a slow learner, because tipsters soon began reporting that he was bragging about his participation in the riot on Facebook and Instagram, posting photos and videos. 

The day after the riot, he had this to say: “We the people need one more solid rally like this and CONgress will be forced to bow and be thrown out for not representing the will of the people and charged with crimes against humanity.” 

We should note that Brown is one of several rioters to get confused about where he was during the riot. In one post he put up a photo of the Capitol, stating “I am the First person to breech the White House in 200 years.” 

We offer up this actual photo of the White House, to help right-wing dolts figure out where they weren’t. 

UPDATE: In August 2024, Mr. Brown’s lawyer suggests that his client may resort to an insanity defense.

Trump supporter.

 

* 

395. JONATHAN DAVIS LAURENS: Laurens, 38, a Georgia native, wore a “Trump 2020: No More Bull----” flag as a cape around his neck to the riot. 

He posted on Facebook from inside the Capitol, and responded to a critical comment with this: “A few bad apples were trying to break windows and kick on doors, but most of us put that (expletive) to bed real fast. We weren’t there to tear (expletive) up, just disrupt the system. All in all, I had fun! LOL.” 

The “system” he “had fun” disrupting was the counting of the electoral votes, a foundation of democracy itself. 

Arrested in July, Laurens was assigned a public defender and allowed out of jail on a personal recognizance bond. 

(He was later sentenced to 60 days of home confinement, 60 hours of community service, a year of probation, and $1,242 in fines and restitution.) 

His arrest eventually lead to the arrest of his pal, John David Ross Gould (#617 on our list), and the two Trump-loving buddies both got convicted. 

Trump supporter.

* 

Not with bullets, but with seven million more votes.

 

396. ROBERT MORSS: According to federal agents, when they arrested Morss at his home, for his role in the riot, they found a Lego version of the Capitol Building Morss had built. The 27-year-old Pennsylvania man, and sometime-substitute teacher, showed up on January 6, dressed in a tactical vest, with a red “Make American Great Again” hat stuck on his cranium. He appears in pictures from that day carrying both a pair of scissors and a knife in his vest. 

Authorities note that Morss kept a notebook titled “Step by Step To Create Hometown Militia.” Steps listed included “Ambush,” “Battle Drills” and “Formations.” 

Police confiscated both his Legos and his notebook and charged him with a battery of offenses. 

Sadly, Morss is a veteran and former Army Ranger, and would normally deserve thanks for his service. His mother told the judge at a detention hearing that her son had done three tours in Afghanistan. He received an honorable discharge, went to Penn State, graduated, and dreamed of being a history teacher. 

His parents sound nice from what I read; but we can’t ignore the fact that young Morss was thinking of setting up “ambushes.” Who did he plan to ambush? Federal agents? Or Americans, like me, who supported Joe Biden – not with bullets, but with seven million more votes.

 

In August 2021, Morss was indicted a second time, along with eight other men, and charged with eleven crimes, including “intent to impede, disrupt and disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress.” He agreed to plead guilty on three charges, including assault and robbery. 

Three weeks after the attack on Capitol Hill, Morss wrote a nine-paragraph note on his phone. Did he regret his role in the assault? His answer was a “resounding no.” “[I]f you thought that the capital [sic] as a temple of democracy was desecrated in a matter of five hours you choose not to see the desecration of our rights that has taken place within those halls of power for the last half century,” he insisted. But given the fact that by the time he was sentenced 932 days had passed since the 2020 election, and NO proof of a stolen election had surfaced? Yeah, he might be sorry now. 

On August 23, 2022, Morss was convicted at trial, including on a charge of assaulting a police officer with a deadly weapon. 

On May 24, 2023, he was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. 

He must also pay $2,300 in fines and restitution. 

Trump supporter, violent, believed election was stolen.

 

* 

397. TIMOTHY ALLEN HART: Hart, who hails from Huber Heights, Ohio, posted a video two days before the riot with the caption “Headed to DC…to support President Trump because the election was tainted.” 

He then posted videos on YouTube of him driving from Ohio to Washington D.C. and then videos from the Capitol. Several tipsters provided information about Hart. Charging documents say he can be seen in video knocking down barriers manned by police. He’s also seen inside the Capitol, wearing a QAnon sweatshirt. 

And a QAnon hat. 

Probably QAnon underwear, too. In any case, he has now been found guilty, on a charge of civil disorder. 

For his sins, he gets docked $2,000 and added to the pileup of rioters placed on probation (three years in his case).

Trump supporter, QAnon, believed election was stolen.

 

* 

398. NOAH S. BACON: Mr. Bacon can be seen in video from January 6, at multiple locations inside the Capitol. He’s wearing an I (heart) Trump t-shirt and a U.S. Space Force cap. Bacon rushes into the building around 2:38 p.m. He picks up a yellow flag from the floor and briefly tries to cover a security camera. Then he tries to jam a flagpole into a door frame to force open the door. 

He makes his political leanings clear in a social media post the day after the attack: “The crime of a fraudulent election is complete. 93 to 6,” he says in reference to the vote of the U.S. Senate to certify the electoral vote. 

“93 people,” he adds, “are going to jail for Seditious Conspiracy and High Treason for certifying a fraudulent election.” 

So far, Bacon is wrong. None of those 93 senators is going to jail. Whereas he is. On March 3, 2023, he is found guilty of one felony and five misdemeanors. 

At his sentencing hearing, a letter was introduced in court, written by his father. “Our large family is baffled and perplexed as to why Noah took on an allegiance to Donald Trump,” he said, calling his son “a man of utter honesty and integrity,” and the “polar opposite” of the president himself. 

On July 27, the fates smile unkindly upon him, and Noah is sentenced to spend a year and a day in jail.

 

Noah Bacon.

Trump supporter, he believed election was stolen.

  

* 

Seeking political asylum in Belarus.

399. Evan Neumann: The 48-year-old Californian remains at large. D.C. Metropolitan Police body camera footage shows the suspect outside the Capitol on Jan.6. He is seen verbally abusing officers behind a metal barricade. When an officer asks him to move away, he refuses. He tells officers they will be “overrun” by the crowd, and says, “I’m willing to die, are you?” 

Again, feel the love! This is the love Trump said he felt in the air. 

Neumann finally grabs the barricade and rams a line of officers. When they push back, he throws a flurry of punches. More rioters join him, and they break the barricade. Neumann lifts it off the ground and strikes officers with it. In an interview with F.B.I. agents he admits being in Washington D.C. and interacting with law enforcement. Beyond that, he declines to elaborate. 

Facing six charges, Neumann headed for Italy, then Ukraine, then crossed the border into Belarus, where he sought political asylum. 

There, the authoritarian regime of President Alexander Lukashenko welcomed the rioter with open arms, hoping to score political points at home and on the world stage. 

As CBS explained, 

A Belarus 1 TV channel presenter introduced him as an American who “sought justice and asked uncomfortable questions” after former U.S. President Donald Trump challenged the results of the 2020 election, adding that Neumann “lost almost everything and is being persecuted by the U.S. government.”

 

As for his problems back home, Neumann complained, “It’s terrible. It is a political persecution, not a criminal investigation, but political persecution.” 

A spokesman for the U.S. Embassy for Belarus (which is currently stationed in Lithuania) responds to a question about Neumann and his friendly reception from the President of Belarus, with this: “The United States condemns the [President] Lukashenko regime for its brutal measures against members of civil society, the media, athletes, students, legal professionals, and other citizens.” 

CBS continued: 

Lukashenko has ruled the country since 1994 with an iron fist and has been repeatedly accused of killing and jailing his political opponents.

 

His treatment of Belarusian demonstrators, many of whom have been beaten and tortured in detention centers, provoked a wave of sanctions and condemnation, including from the Biden administration.

 

So have fun in Belarus, Neumann, you gigantic dope! Protest there, even if you don’t hit a cop, and you might end up dead. 

Finally, in March 2022, Belarus grants Neumann “refugee status.”

 

UPDATE: In January 2024, he talks to a reporter for the Santa Rosa, California Press-Democrat, and suggests (of course) that the crowd was “salted with provocateurs,” to lead fools like him on to riotous fun. He says he misses his two teenage children – but, hey, all in service to Donald J. Trump. Who f**king lost the 2020 election!! He stands accused of assaulting four police officers on January 6, 2021. He’s thinking of opening a restaurant in the city of Brest, and featuring American cuisine. 

Now, the fugitive is pinning his hope on Trump being elected again in 2024, and following through on a pledge to pardon the rioters. Then again, Neumann is realistic. “Trump is Trump,” he admits. “He may say something today and decide that it’s not convenient tomorrow.” 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

400. ROBERT CHAPMAN: After bragging on Bumble, a dating website, that he had been part of the Capitol Hill riot, Chapman ends up handcuffed. One woman he contacted about a date replied, “We are not a match.” 

Then she called federal authorities. 

(Not only does Mr. Chapman fail to woo the lady, he ends up pleading guilty to a single charge, and earns 90 days of home confinement – further dampening his chances for dates), 18 months of probation, 60 hours of community service, and gets stuck paying $742 in fines and restitution.) 

Trump supporter (unlucky in love).

 

* 

401. BRYAN WAYNE IVEY: On June 22, 2022, the 28-year-old from Tennessee plead guilty to a single misdemeanor for his part in the attack. He was fined $500, sentenced to 60 days’ home confinement, and put on probation for the next three years. Fox News reports that Ivey’s brother and wife traveled to D.C. with him, but neither is believed to have entered the building. 

Not much else is known about Mr. Ivey, although a video of his time inside the Capitol was posted to Parler, the far-right social media website. 

Like many of those arrested for their part in the attack on Jan. 6, Ivey was represented in court by a public defender and for a long time remained free on bail. Kind of proving: No, we’re not headed for tyranny. 

At his sentencing, Ivey explained his thinking (such as it was) at the time of the riot, telling the judge, “I genuinely believed, in every fiber of my being, that there was a global secret state that was plotting to kill off the majority of the human population.” Two days after the riot, he admitted he sought mental health treatment, and he said he had spent months recovering from injuries when he was crushed against a doorframe by other members of the riotous mob. 

Trump supporter, QAnon.

 

*

402. ANTHONY RICHARD MOAT: Moat called federal authorities on February 19, 2021, and admitted having been inside the Capitol Building on Jan. 6. 

In August 2022, he agreed to plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge – and in January 2023 prosecutors urged the judge in his case to sentence Moat to 21 days in prison, noting that he had deleted social media posts to impede investigators. 

In one, Moat had made clear where he stood, regarding the 2020 election. Three days before the attack, he had posted, “Jan 6th is the day..If this isn’t resolved, I think red states should secede. I’m not even kidding[.]” 

(Since Moat is from Pennsylvania, I am assuming he must have thought the vote in his state was also rigged – and so he lived in a “red” state.) 

In the end, Moat gets off with ten days in a cell and a bill for $500 in restitution. And, as of June 24, 2023, when I update my lists, Trump still has no proof that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump supporter, he believed the election was stolen.

 

* 

403. ELLIOTT BISHAI: Bishai, 20, is arrested along with Elias Irizarry (#364 on our list). Like Irizarry, he’s a student at The Citadel and a graduate of the same Nation Ford High School. Bishai was a member of the Junior ROTC program at Nation Ford. He’s an honor student in college and studying political science. 

In a statement, after his first court hearing, his lawyer said, 

“We do take these charges very seriously, and Elliot has the greatest respect for the United States Capitol Police, for law enforcement, and for the United States Capitol. He loves the U.S. Capitol, loves his country and would never harm his country or the Capitol in any way.

 

On April 25, 2022, Bishai admits in court that he is seen on tape from that day, shouting encouragement as the mob tries to break into the Capitol, “Let’s go, let’s go, you’ve got it!” he yells “Come on guys, keep pushing, keep pushing!” 

Bishai can also be heard saying: “Let’s go, let’s go! Civil War II!” Which is not exactly loving “his country.” 

He pleads guilty to one charge, ends up on probation for a year, has to sit in the slammer for fourteen days, and cough up $500 in restitution. 

Trump supporter.

 

* 

“Fucking fun.” 

404. STEPHEN CHASE RANDOLPH: Mr. Randolph (see: Paul Russell Johnson, below) was arrested after the F.B.I. used facial recognition software on his girlfriend’s Instagram account. He and Johnson were quickly charged with kicking, punching, and shoving law enforcement officers during the riot. 

In the indictment against the two men, we read, 

On April 13, 2021, two FBI agents, acting in an undercover capacity, surreptitiously recorded a conversation with RANDOLPH at his workplace. During the interaction, RANDOLPH, who identified himself as “Stephen,” admitted attending the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. RANDOLPH said he attended the former President’s speech but left early after hearing people would be going to the U.S. Capitol. RANDOLPH said that upon arriving at the area of the U.S. Capitol, there were steel barriers set up in front of a grassy area in front of the U.S. Capitol building and there were approximately 15 police officers spread out in this particular area. RANDOLPH said he was in this area for approximately 5 minutes before “shit went crazy” and that he was standing close to people who were throwing items at the police. RANDOLPH further stated “I was in it,” and “It was fucking fun” referring to being in the crowd at the U.S. Capitol. RANDOLPH said he witnesses a female police officer get pushed over by barricades and that her head had bounced off the handrails by the stairs. RANDOLPH opined that the female police officer likely had a concussion because she was curled up in the fetal position after being pushed to the ground.

 

In one publicly available video, defendant Randolph talks about grabbing for an officer’s neck. Two other officers had to come to the other’s aid and pull Radolph off. Later, the defendant said “it was fucking fun” to be part of the mob that day, even though, when he saw the female officer curled up in a fetal position after hitting the steps, he realized she probably had a concussion.

 

UPDATE: On Groundhog Day, 2024, Randolph, Johnson, and three other men, who joined forces for an attack on police lines are all convicted, on various charges, adding five more felons to our list. 

On September 19, 2024, he learns he’ll be spending the next eleven years in jail or on probation. He also owes $2,000 in restitution. 

(LIKELY TRUMP SUPPORTER.)

Violent.

 

* 

“Slinging one around.” 

405. PAUL RUSSELL JOHNSON: Johnson and Randolph (above) were charged with picking up a metal crowd control barrier and using it as a weapon to batter Capitol Hill police defending Congress. 

Good old Paul showed up at the riot with a megaphone and a backpack, and before attacking officers turned to another protester and can be seen in one video saying, “Here, hold my backpack.” He then hands over the pack and the megaphone. 

Dare we call it a “magaphone?” 

In a YouTube video from that day, Johnson is pleased with what he believes he has achieved. He talks about helping overrun the first line of police barricades, and then he and the mob reach another: 

We get to the next gate. There’s three sets of gates before you get to the stairs of the Capitol. Alright? We get to the next gate. There’s probably . . . there’s a shit load of cops up there then. Second wing, we breached, pulled up, start throwing shit. I mean we’re fu-, we’re we’re fighting cops and shit. I have video where I’m slinging one around . . . .

 

So we get to the third gate, they’re all hightailing to the top of the Capitol. We get up on the steps. It’s bolted down to the ground, the gate was. A black gate. So we grab it, we start doing this number here. The next thing you know it’s bear mace, the whole front row, dude.

 

This video clearly did not help his defense. 

Federal prosecutors describe the defendant as a member of the “Three Percenters,” which is pretty much the polar opposite of Antifa. 

So, Johnson stands trial. He gets his riotous ass convicted and now he’s a felon and he’s going to jail and Donald Trump still hasn’t proven before any court in the land that the election was stolen. 

Because it wasn’t. 

On September 19, 2024, Johnson learns his fate: jail time, 52 weekends in a row; two years of home confinement, probation for five years, and $27,000 in fines and restitution. 

Right-wing type, violent.

 

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406. STEVEN THURLOW: The Washington Post provides the following background on Thurlow, who is seen in at least one picture on social media, wearing a patch representing the Boogaloo bois: 

“Ahh nothing like a new pair of 511’s and a fresh set of level IV SAPI’s in the plate carrier to go ‘peacefully protest’ with,” Thurlow allegedly posted on Facebook next to a photo of himself wearing body armor, camouflage and a gas mask with a knife and AR-15 rifle next to a Christmas tree, prosecutors said. Patches that Thurlow wore related to the 101^st Airborne Division, in which he served from 1988 to 1991, and “Boogaloo,” a term taken up by fringe groups referring to a racially or ethnically motivated civil war, prosecutors said.

 

He ends up sentenced to perform 80 hours of community service, pay $500 in restitution, and do two years on probation. 

Right-wing person.

 

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“Over 500k armed militia patriots will be in DC.” 

407. GEORGE TENNEY III: Mr. Tenney, from Anderson, S.C., was the first to open the east Capitol Rotunda doors from the inside, allowing the mob to enter. The Washington Post, quoting court documents, notes, 

Tenney, administrator of a Facebook page called PowerHouse Patriot, talked as early as Dec. 12 of joining “patriot revolution groups” or militias, before posting on late December, “I heard over 500k armed militia patriots will be in DC by the (Jan.) 4^th,” according to charging papers.

 

“It’s starting to look like we may siege the capital building and Congress if the electoral votes don’t go right. … We are forming plans for every scenario,” charging papers also alleged Tenney posted.

 

So, let’s be crystal clear for all the dopes out there, like Rejected-President Don. Many of these rioters were prepared to water the tree of liberty with blood, as Jefferson once put it. Only that blood, by the very nature of their plan, would have had to be the blood of other Americans. 

What exactly had those other Americans done? They had voted, in record numbers, just like Trump’s loyal fans. And they had outnumbered Trump’s fans by seven million. 

So they won. 

At his trial, Tenney explained: “I let one man’s rhetoric and lies bring me to a place that couldn’t be more far from reality... I realize now how wrong I was... It is obvious to me now that none of those false claims I felt were true back then have any validity...” 

Sure enough, the poor galoot fell hard for Donald J. Trump. The judge gives him a slight reduction in the sentence recommended by prosecutors. But Tenney still gets three years in federal prison. 

Right-wing, violent, Trump supporter, election was “stolen.”

 

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408. NICHOLAS J. PERRETTA: Mr. Perretta, of Baden, Pa., has told federal authorities that he and Mitchell Paul Vukich (#409) traveled to Washington D.C. to attend then-President Trump’s January 6 rally. In video from the riot, Perretta can be seen knocking down police barriers, and then an officer in front of him goes down. Perretta says all he and Vukich did inside the Capitol was take a bunch of “three-month-old Congressional papers,” which they threw away later. 

He agrees to a plea deal, gets 30 days in jail, and an order from the judge to pay $500 in restitution. 

I smell a cooperating witness. 

Right-winger (we assume, based on his friendship with Vukich).

 

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409. MITCHELL PAUL VUKICH:  The New Brighton, Pennsylvania man posted a message on Twitter at 3:15 p.m. Jan. 6, as the riot was going full blast. “I was one of the first 15 people in the #Capitol,” he bragged. “Wild stuff. Be safe out there.”  

Vukich is another QAnon dupe. 

As WUSA Channel 9 reports, 

Vukich co-hosts a conspiracy-oriented podcast called “Down the Rabbit Hole with Mitch Vuk.” The show’s Apple Podcasts page lists recent episodes dealing with a “Global Satanic Cult,” “Roswell and other Shadow Government Coverups” and the “Rothschild Takeover” – an apparent reference to an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory about the Jewish Rothschild family.

 

His riotous endeavors eventually end with Vukich being sentenced to spend thirty days in jail.

QAnon believer.

  

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410. Matthew Loganbill: Mr. Loganbill is owner of the Tooth and Nail gun shop. When he was arrested in connection with the January 6 riot, a judge strictly limited his ability to handle weapons – only allowing Loganbill to transfer weapons from one store he owned to another. On July 10, 2021, the none-to-bright gun store owner decided signing up for and participating in a shooting contest would be fun. And then he thought it would be even more fun to post his score online and say, in essence, “Hey, look at me. I was in a shooting contest!” 

Prosecutors were not amused, and the judge was peeved. 

When first arrested, federal authorities relied on evidence including anonymous tips, and social media posts made by Mr. Loganbill himself. In one he says he talked to a Capitol Hill police officer and told him, “We came peacefully this time, it will be different if we have to come again…” 

A tipster told the F.B.I. that Loganbill was a “hot head” and bitter about damage done to his business during the pandemic. He also warned that Loganbill was “extremely immersed in the paramilitary lifestyle, viewed himself as a patriot and likely felt his actions at the Capitol on Jan. 6 were justified.” 

Loganbill went to D.C. to “stop the steal.” 

By gunfire, if necessary? Again. Can we be clear. These are people who want to overturn results of an election by force. 

You can see why the judge in his first hearing wanted to limit Loganbill’s ability to transfer weapons anyplace.

 

UPDATE: The man with all the guns, but no clue about what really happened during the last presidential election opts for a bench trial. That doesn’t help, and on November 16, 2023, he’s found guilty on all charges. That includes one felony. 

(Whereas Donald J. Trump, his hero, faces 91 felony charges.)

 

In reading about his conviction, the blogger learns that Mr. Loganbill showed up for the riot ready to...well…riot. He had donned a tactical helmet and carried a gas mask. As for why he was there, he explained his motivation the day after the attack. “We were trying every means possible to stop these idiots from stealing the presidency and destroying this nation,” he said. 

Trump supporter, right-wing type, believed the election was stolen.

 

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QAnon all the way.

411. KENNETH JOHN REDA: When not participating in riots, Mr. Reda works as a physed teacher and assistant football coach at a Florida high school. He’s not exactly proficient in languages, allegedly posting this garbled admonition on his Parler account: “We need to get together and organize against this KABAL we need to overthrow it....they have thrown their last ditch effort to overthrow this election therefore this nation if we do not come together and organize we will LOSE.” 

When I do a little digging, I find the indictment against Reda includes this autobiographical sketch from a Parler account under the name of “mrjoebidenhead:” “Imperfect Son of the Lord Jesus Christ, Husband, Father, Son, Pop, Educator, concerned American NRA & 2A supporter: WWG1WGA.” 

Reda is QAnon all the way. 

He also ends up exposing another rioter to arrest, during his talks with federal authorities. See: Daniel Shaw, #591. 

He has already plead guilty and learned his fate: 60 days home detention, community service, restitution, probation.

Trump supporter, QAnon, believed in “stolen election” myth.

 

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412. Michael Leon Brock: Mr. Brock was wearing a “God, Guns and Trump” hoodie on the day he allegedly helped storm the Capitol. 

Perhaps his hoodies should have read, “and Assault.” Brock, 54, is charged with felony assault on the police, after video seems to show him striking officers with a four-foot rod. He could be looking at twenty years in prison.

Trump fans will tell you Brock might have been an “Antifa type” in disguise. Let’s just say, it’s unlikely. I can’t find definitive proof yet. 

It’s fun to note, however, that in looking up material on Brock, I find a story about two Republican congressmen, Rep. Trent Kelly, and Rep. Mike Guest, who met with members of the “Patriot Party of Mississippi” on the morning of the riot. 

As reporters for Mississippi Today explain, 

The “Patriot Party of Mississippi” is one of several similar groups that was formed on Facebook in the last week of December 2020. The group used tags from high-profile conspiracy theorists on right-wing and white nationalist websites and social media pages, and the Mississippi group’s posts invited supporters to “Operation Occupy the Capitol” on Jan. 6, when they vowed to “take back our country from corrupt politicians.”

 

When reporters tried to contact members of this fine group, they were unable to make any connections. 

I try to locate the Facebook page for the group, but it appears to have been deleted, which is too bad. 

Donald J. Trump might have liked it. 

Trump supporter.

 

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413. Kevin A. Tuck: Up until the day of his arrest, Tuck, 51, was a police officer with the Windemere, Florida police department. When confronted with evidence of his participation in the assault on Congress, Officer Tuck at first denied it. He was arrested the next day. 

So, definitely not the “Antifa” type.

 

UPDATE: Actually, he was also a Proud Boy; and in September 2024, he pleaded guilty and could be looking at up to a year in jail. 

His son, Nathan (below) is also likely to end up behind bars – was also a police officer – and also a Proud Boy. 

Right-wing type.

 

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414. Nathaniel A. Tuck: Nathaniel, 29, his dad (above), Rae, and George (below), are accused of joining Proud Boy member Arthur Jackman (#302 on our list) in breeching the Capitol. 

The younger Tuck is a former officer with the Apopka Police Department. So, again, not a likely left-wing type. 

Dad is charged with crimes that could get him 23 years in prison, but he’d still get out before his son. Nathaniel could be looking at 28 years behind bars. On social media, the younger Tuck is was shown to have posted about how he had joined the “Space Force” branch of the Proud Boys, after watching videos of Antifa riots. “Anyone else decide to join after seeing antifa videos online? Lol. I got myself in a rabbit hole on YouTube and watched 6 hours of videos of antifa attacking people,” he wrote. “I was like ‘Fuck this, I’m joining the Proud Boys’ lol.” 

Lol, having now pleaded guilty, you’re probably joining the “Jail House” branch of the Proud Boys next. 

Young Tuck also admitted watching multiple videos posted by Gavin McInnes, founder of the Boys, who “spoke truth.” 

Finally, he posted, “I see an increase in radical leftist ideology that is beginning to effect [sic] my life. I don’t want to stand by while the very foundation of America is being eroded by insane communists. And I also want to fight antifa.”

 

UPDATE: In the wake of the riot, we also know Nathan posted proudly on social media, “Fought the police.” 

Trump supporter, right-wing, violent.

 

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415. Paul Rae: According to local Florida news, Rae, 38, who lives in Largo, traveled to Washington D.C. as “an associate of the Proud Boys.” In the wake of his indictment, Rae must now surrender any firearms he might own, any ammunition, and his passport. 

“As he walked out of the courthouse,” after his first hearing, reporters noted, “he had no comment.” 

He now faces five charges. The prosecutor in Rae’s case asked the judge to set “stringent conditions” for his release before trial, citing Rae’s dangerous associations with the pro-violence Boys.

 

FUN FACT: In October 2021, the allegedly drunk Mr. Rae was seen to crash his boat into a small island, at high speed. He was booked for BUI, or “boating under the influence.” 

Fortunately, neither he nor a passenger were injured. 

Right-wing (Rae denies he’s an actual member of the Proud Boys).

 

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“It’s our flag.” 

416. Edward George Jr.: If I understand the wording of the indictment of these four men, only George and the younger Tuck are accused of assaulting an officer. Jackman and George are accused of stealing a flag and pole during the riot. 

One of the men, unidentified in the story I consult, tweeted after the attack: “We stormed the Capitol, fought the police and took the flag. It’s our flag.” 

Right-wing.

This flag belongs to all of us - not just the right-wing nuts.

 

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417. CALEB BERRY: We’ll let USA Today do all the real work on this defendant, 19 at the time of the riot. 

He’s another right-wing type, of course. 

Berry was part of a group of Oath Keeper members and associates who went to the Capitol carrying communication devices, vests, helmets and goggles and forced their way to the east side of the building and toward the Capitol Rotunda, prosecutors say. The group wore clothes and patches with the Oath Keepers name, logo and insignia, according to court records. 

 

He has now pleaded guilty, and admitted the group stashed weapons in Arlington, Virginia, ready for use, if Trump called them into action. (They retrieved them again on January 7, before heading home.) 

We also know that Berry, and other Oath Keepers, had sworn to be ready to die to “uphold the Constitution.” 

Which meant, on January 6, had events unfolded a little differently, they would have been ready to kill. 

During his trial, Berry said he knew that he “had made a huge mistake” even on the day of the riot.

 

In the end, his cooperation with investigators saves him from prison. The judge in his case acknowledged that young Mr. Berry had put his safety at risk by testifying truthfully. So: three years on probation, five hundred dollars in restitution. 

 

BLOGGER’S NOTE (11/23/23): On “X,” formerly known as Twitter, Ryan J. Reilly has done brilliant work tracking the stories of the rioters. According to court documents, Mr. Berry and six other Oath Keepers are already cooperating with investigators. Those others include Graydon Young (#220 on our list), Joshua James (#256), Jason Dolan (#279), Mark Grods (#387), Brian Ulrich (#603) and William Todd Wilson (#623). 

Right-wing, ready for violence.

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418. Mark Ibrahim: Ibrahim, an officer with the Drug Enforcement Agency, has been charged with participating in the riot, and coming accessorized with gun, badge and Trump  flag. 

Ibrahim allegedly lied about his participation, insisting that he went to Capitol Hill at the request of the F.B.I. A tipster told authorities that Ibrahim lied in an attempt to “cover his ass.” 

Apparently, he had plans to launch a political podcast that would be named “Liberty Tavern” and start selling his own cigar brand. 

(POLITICAL AFFILIATION NOT KNOWN.)

 

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419. Debra J. Maimone: Maimone was charged with unlawful entry of the Capitol Building on January 6, after video shot by Philip C. Vogel II (below), was uncovered on Parler. These rioters do love the far-right social media site. 

Maimone is seen styling a “Gun, Gods and Trump” sweatshirt, herself, and an American flag face covering. When she removed it to talk about how amazing it was to be in the center of a riot, Vogel warned her to cover her face. 

“I don’t want them to see you,” he said. Too late, bonehead. Maybe you shouldn’t be filming her, at all. 

Maimone can be seen at one point helping stow a stolen police gas mask in Vogel’s backpack. Because as President Trump knows, every loving patriot needs a gas mask while touring the Capitol. 

Later, she posted on social media: 

“I’m saying I was at the government building FULL OF TYRANTS and I WATCHED A TON of patriots that were fed up with being shot at flash banged and gassed for trying to peacefully protest!” the post read. “AND THEY TOOK THE CAPITAL THAT IS THE HOME OF THE PEOPLE AND PAYED (sic) FOR BY THE PEOPLE!”

 

On June 2, she pled guilty to a single misdemeanor charge. 

Trump supporter, believe in “stolen election” myth.

 

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“Donald J. Trump and his various agents.” 

420. PHILIP C. VOGEL: Like Maimone (above), Vogel had a good time once he managed to storm the Capitol. Authorities note that he could be seen trying to kick open a door. He and Maimone stood and watched as other members of the mob tried to smash open a set of double doors. At one point, they picked up two silver packages they found. The charging document in their case explains: 

According to U.S. Capitol Police, the silver packages contain escape hoods, which are a form of personal protective equipment (PPE) designed to protect the wearer [members of Congress, for example] from chemical agents, biological agents, nuclear or radiological particles and toxic industrial chemicals for a short period of time.

 

Apparently, the couple owns a business (name redacted in the indictment, but later revealed to be Vera General Contracting in McKees Rocks) together. Prosecutors also noted that the day after the riot, Vogel defended what the mob had done. 

Just listen to the video below about impeachment of Biden. She states if ppl are so afraid of Biden taking office that they would commit crimes and get violent then what is really the reason for it??? The ppl being arrested are law abiding, tax paying citizens. From Construction workers , business owners and real estate agents to Cops, lawmakers, OLYMPIANS, and so many more! By pushing a bullshit narrative that they all followed a couple of clueless IDIOTS that were there just to say they were is a HUGE disservice to those that took a stand that day. Remember, the ppl that allowed this bullshit election go through were in there that day. They are tyrants. These ppl took a stand against tyrants no matter where or who they were.

 

In other words, we have another pair of Trump supporters.

 

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In a later court filing, Vogel’s lawyer notifies the court that his client will invoke a “public authority” defense. That is, the defendant “believed he was directed and authorized to engage in the conduct set forth in the indictment [against him] by Donald J. Trump and his various agents.” 

That defense naturally fails, and on June 2, 2023, Vogel pleads guilty to one misdemeanor charge, related to the riot. So much for taking orders from Donald. Vogel gets 30 days in the can, probation, community service, and a bill for $1,806 in restitution. 

When I update my list on August 14, 2024, this is still true: No court has found evidence that the 2020 election was stolen. 

Trump supporter, believe in “stolen election” myth.