Texas has one of the largest number of residents indicted in the January 6, 2021 riot. At least five Texans have already been convicted.
by Reese Oxner
January 6, 20222 hours ago
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On January 6, 2021, the Frisco- Real estate agent Jennifer Leigh Ryan joined a group of Donald Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol and broadcast their experiences live on Facebook.
But exactly one year later she is in jail for her role in the chaos.
Ryan was among hundreds who reiterated unsubstantiated claims that the 2020 elections were stolen from Trump when they stormed the U.S. Capitol and disrupted Congressional certification of the results.
« We’re going to f — ing in here. Life or death doesn’t matter, « she said on Facebook Live, according to court records.
Ryan turned the camera on her own face before saying, » You all know who to hire for your broker. Jenna Ryan for your agent. «
Ryan, who recently started her 60-day prison sentence for parades, demonstrations, or picket lines in a Capitol building, is one of at least 63 Texans charged for what she did that day have been charged with various crimes. This includes Mark Middleton, on charges of assault on an officer and multiple disability, currently running for a seat at the Texas House.
The number of Texans indicted continues to rise as the FBI continues its investigation and making arrests. The charges against the participants – and the punishments they face – range from offenses with low sentences to crimes that can lead to years of imprisonment.
Trump had urged his supporters to stand in Washington, D.C. « I know everyone will be marching to the Capitol soon to have your voices heard peacefully and patriotically today, » he said.
The Texas Republicans often took the lead on unsubstantiated complaints who tried to reject the 2020 election results and tried to rally Trump supporters to protest his loss.
According to USA Today’s database, Texas has the third highest number of residents related to crime are charged with the Capitol Rebellion, just under Florida and Pennsylvania. Texans make up about 9% of the defendants in the country.
US MP Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, said in an interview that fear and disbelief overwhelmed him as he hid from the mob that went by that day the Capitol stormed.
« I don’t think there was anyone in the chamber who didn’t think they wouldn’t be home that evening, » he said.
It seemed like both sides were of the Ganges initially united in indignation over what happened, said Gonzalez. However, he said the tide shifted quickly when the dust cleared. Soon every party took a polarized stance on the event, with a few exceptions on the Republican side, he said.
Every criminal case against the accused is being prosecuted by the District of Columbia District Attorney’s Office. But every defendant must appear before the district court, where he will be arrested. That means dozens of different courtrooms across the state oversee these cases.
According to The New York Times, about 40 people involved in the Capitol riot were waiting in the District of Columbia jail in early November, awaiting trial . However, it is unclear how many of them were Texans.
Of the more than five dozen accused in Texas, only five have been convicted – and four of them are in prison. Each of these five cases was resolved after settlement agreements reduced the charges in question to relatively minor offenses.
Five Texans have dates for their convictions. Trials of dozens of other Texans charged – including 20 people accused of violence – are still pending.
Troy Anthony Smocks of Dallas received the heaviest sentence of any Texan to date – and was the first Texan to convicted of a crime. On October 21, he was sentenced to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release for threats in interstate communications and posting threatening news on social media.
According to court documents, Smocks went to the Parler social media website to seek his Describe participation and outline threats.
“So for the next 24 hours, I’d say let’s get our personal affairs in order. Prepare our weapons and then go hunting. Let’s hunt these cowards down like the traitors that each of them is, ”wrote Smocks, according to court documents. « It wasn’t the building we wanted … it was them! »
Smocks, who is black, argued that prosecutors treated him more severely because of his race, according to the Washington Post. The also black US District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan from Washington D.C. dismissed Smocks ‘lawsuit.
« I haven’t seen the slightest evidence that prosecutors’ decisions were racially motivated, » said Chutkan.
The FBI said Smocks had on the morning of January 15th made a flight reservation to leave the United States for a foreign country. He was arrested the day before.
His sentence was tougher than the federal prosecutor’s recommended, according to The Washington Post. The judge in charge said it was necessary to deter similar future actions by others.
« Because the country is watching, » Chutkan said, according to The Post, « to see what the consequences are for something else in this country has never happened before, for acts and crimes that undermine the rule of law and our democracy. «
Matthew Carl Mazzocco was a mortgage loan officer in San Antonio before he was released after his arrest, according to KSAT-TV. He was sentenced to 45 days in prison and 60 hours of community service in October after pleading guilty to demonstrating or demonstrating in a Capitol.
The FBI received an anonymous tip in which Mazzocco was based on social media Posts identified, including a post from outside the Capitol titled, « The Capital Is Our Own! » for his actions during the Capitol Riots.
Pham was sentenced to 45 days in prison, fined $ 1,000 and paid $ 500 in damages to the Capitol. He pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating, or demonstrating in a Capitol building on September 20 after initially denying he was there. Investigators found photos he took of the scene, which proved he was inside.
Ryan, the Frisco real estate agent, took a private jet to Washington, D.C. and then said on Twitter: “We have just stormed the capital. It was one of the best days of my life, « the court records read.
She was sentenced to 60 days in prison on November 4th, fined $ 1,000 and paid $ 500 in damages condemned to the Capitol. After initially pleading not guilty, she eventually pleaded guilty to demonstrating or demonstrating in a Capitol.
Ryan made headlines with her uncompromising social media presence, which she took over shortly after the Capitol Riot. In March she tweeted: « Sorry, I have blonde hair, white skin, a great job, a great future and I will not go to jail. » a lack of remorse on Ryan’s side.
Ryan’s attorney Guy Womack said in an interview that the verdict was unfair because it was based on her actions after Jan 6 and Ryan later showed remorse.
Eliel Midland Rosa pleaded guilty to parades, demonstrations or pickets in a Capitol building and was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours of community service on October 12. Rosa was also ordered to pay $ 500 in damages to the Capitol.
Rosa was arrested along with Jenny Cudd, a former Midland mayoral candidate. Cudd was seen on a video saying, « We broke down Nancy Pelosi’s office door … Damn, I’m proud of what I’ve done, I loaded the Capitol with patriots today. »
Mark Middleton followed up his indictment campaigned for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. He is facing charges of assault and multiple handicap.
He is one of three Republicans to challenge State Representative David Spiller for the North Texas seat in the March 1st GOP primary.
Him and his wife Jalise Middleton is accused of pushing against police barricades, dealing with officers and verbally abusing them. His wife is charged with repeatedly grabbing an officer and slapping her hand. The couple fought with two officers until they were reportedly hit with pepper spray.
According to court documents, following the riot on Facebook, Jalise Middleton commented: « We fought the cops to get into the capital and were with Pepper spray sprayed and beaten up, but the hell the patriots got in! «
The couple say they never entered the Capitol themselves. Mark Middleton said they turned down both deals because they deny they attacked the police. He claims the officers started beating them while their backs were turned and they were only responding to the beating.
Mark Middleton – whose platform includes a call for Texas to separate from the US – said in an interview with The Texas Tribune that he had previously considered running for political office, but his January 6 experience inspired him to run. Aside from his swearing at officers and subsequent Facebook posts, Middleton said he has no regrets about his actions that day.
He claims that most of the people he spoke to after the events rated his engagement positively .
Middleton said his pilot’s license was revoked following the incident and he feels that many of the people present on Jan. 6 are being ill-treated – especially those who never entered the Capitol. He thinks their commitment is excessive.
« They don’t tell the story of middle-aged people like me and my wife who were exemplary citizens in the community and who were highly regarded and highly involved and with no criminal record of any kind common violent criminals have been arrested, « he said.
The FBI continues to seek advice from the public to identify people on over 1,500 photos and videos. Any additional arrests will add the accused to the Office’s database.
The arrests to date have been the result of mass collaboration between local and state law enforcement agencies and whistleblowers. And there’s no sign that it’s waning anytime soon.
The government estimates that up to 2,500 people who attended the January 6th events could be charged with federal crimes, according to the New York Times. This includes more than 1,000 incidents that prosecutors believe could involve bodily harm.
A year later, the vast majority of cases are still before the sentencing phase. Over time, the cases will continue to appear in courts across the country.
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