Weekly January 6th Rioter Roundup: Week of August 29th

     Joshua Pruitt, a Proud Boys recruit who encountered Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer during the January 6th insurrection, a career criminal who continues to believe the Big Lie to this day, a D.C. resident who is perhaps the anthropomorphization of steroids, was sentenced to 55 months in prison with three years of probation and $2,000 restitution for obstruction of an official proceeding.

     Patrick McCaughey III, Tristan Chandler Stevens, and David Mehaffie, three of the nine men charged for leading the violence against police in the Lowest West Terrace tunnel, had their bench trial conducted before Judge Trevor McFadden; their verdict is expected to be delivered after Labor Day weekend.

     Steven Thurlow, 50, of Michigan, a veteran with ties to the Boogaloo Boys, which believes in a pending race-based civil war, was sentenced to two years of probation with 80 hours of community service and $500 restitution after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of picketing, parading, and demonstrating in the Capitol.

     David Wiersma, 67, and Dawn Frankowski, 54, of suburban Chicago, pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanor as Thurlow after taking a road trip together, attending the Stop the Steal event at the Ellipse together, and walking to the Capitol together, where Wiersna streamed his activities extensively on social media; Frankowski, on the other hand, only stayed inside for a few minutes and left after walking through two offices.

     Francis Connor, a resident of Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and is awaiting sentencing for entering Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley's office, wrote an "apology letter" to the senator in which he never actually apologized for his actions and instead downplayed his actions and played victim.

     Nicholas Lattanzi, the last Delawarean charged so far in the Capitol insurrection, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of picketing, parading, or demonstrating in the Capitol and faces a maximum penalty of six months in jail and five years of probation. He ran a TikTok account that paid tribute to the Master of Dry Pussies Ben Shapiro and posted a picture of himself wearing a camo suit while joking about the genocide in the Balkans during the 1990s.

     Christian Cortez, a 28-year-old Seabrook, Texas, man who yelled at police officers before being sprayed with fire retardant, was sentenced to four months in prison with three years of probation, 60 hours of community service, and $2,000 restitution.

     Kellye Sorelle, the attorney for and acting president of the Oath Keepers, was arrested on charges of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of justice after she participated in a filmed meeting between the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys in a parking garage in D.C. on the night of January 5th, joined Rhodes on Capitol grounds on the day of the insurrection, and helped Oath Keepers delete evidence in the days that followed.

     Thomas Webster, the former Marine and NYPD officer who broke a flagpole swinging it at officers before shoving a barricade into one, tackling him to the ground, choking him with his own gas mask, and gouging his eyes; was sentenced to 10 years in prison with three years of probation and $2,060 restitution, by far the longest sentence to date. 

     Tyrone McFadden, Jr. and Carrie Ann Williams, an engaged couple from Cherry Hill, Baltimore, Maryland, were arrested on misdemeanor charges after they entered the Capitol, appeared in a Young Patriot Society video bragging and whining about getting pepper sprayed, and sent each other messages about whether or not to delete evidence.

     Julian Khater, 33, of Somerset, New Jersey, the man who sprayed Officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting law enforcement with a deadly weapon and faces a sentence of 78 to 97 months in prison when he returns to court on December 13th; his co-defendant, George P. Tanios of West Virginia, pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and is set to be sentenced on December 6th.

     Anthony Puma, a 50-year-old Michigan career criminal who scaled the Capitol wall, threatened to kill "commie bastards" and "storm the House of Representatives tomorrow," bragged about being tear gassed and pepper sprayed while still claiming the event was peaceful, and loudly encouraged other insurrectionists to storm the building pled guilty to a felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding and faces a sentence of 15 to 21 months in prison when he is sentenced at a date yet to be determined.

     Matthew Capsel, 28, of Ottawa, Illinois, pleaded guilty to obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and faces 27 to 33 months in prison when he is sentenced on December 16th. He went viral on TikTok for his numerous confrontations with the National Guard after the curfew went into effect, which earned him a face full of mace.

     Thomas Uberto, a New York resident who spent approximately eight minutes in the Capitol wearing a "Stop the Steal" shirt, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of picketing, parading, or demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol and faces up to six months in jail and five years of probation as well as $500 restitution when he is sentenced.