Attendees of Confederate Woodstock dismayed that actions have consequences

Florida man who wore panda gear during Capitol breach convicted
https://cbs12.com/news/local/leandr...uring-us-capitol-breach-convicted-doj-reports

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A Florida man who wore a panda headpiece as he moved through the U.S. Capitol during the January 6 protests was found guilty of felony charges stemming from the events of that day, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday in a statement.

While Jesse James Rumson had donned the panda look when he vaulted his way into the federal building where Congressmembers had gathered to count electoral votes, he did not have it on by the time he left, the statement continued. Following an altercation with police, prosecutors say, he was escorted out by law enforcement, sans panda gear, but with his eyes and skin reddened from pepper spray. (See gallery for DOJ photos)

Rumson had been inside the Capitol for 13 minutes that day, going into the building after seeing another protestor break the windows of the Parliamentarian Door and unlatch it, according to the DOJ statement.

The Leandro man had driven to Washington, D.C., where he attended the Stop the Steal Rally at the Ellipse “wearing a large headpiece that appeared to be from a panda costume,” according to the DOJ news release. After the event, he joined the march to the Capitol and was among the thousands of people who broke through the building’s perimeter. Prosecutors noted Rumson not only watched protestors fighting with outnumbered Capitol Police, he egged them on as the crowd pushed officers up the steps.

Rumson was arrested less than two months after the attack. He was convicted Friday during a bench trial in which U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols called his account “absurd” and “patently incompatible with objective evidence and testimony,” the DOJ noted.

Rumson was convicted on two felony charges: civil disorder along with assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. He was also found guilty of six misdemeanors. He is slated to be sentenced on September 5.

According to the DOJ, more than 1,400 people have been charged in connection with the assault on the Capitol, and more than 500 of them are accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

(Article has more pictures and criminal complaint document)
 
The ‘QAnon Shaman’ wants his helmet and spear back but the Justice Department objects
https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/12/politics/qanon-shaman-helmet-spear-case/index.html

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The Justice Department doesn’t want to return to Jacob Chansley the infamous horned helmet and flag-pole spear that he carried inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Prosecutors say they need to hold onto the items as evidence in case Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman,” attempts to challenge his conviction following the Supreme Court ruling last month limiting obstruction charges against January 6 rioters, in a case called Fischer v US.

Chansley pleaded guilty — without a trial — to the felony obstruction charge and was sentenced to 41 months in prison in 2021. He has finished serving his prison time but has two years left of court-supervised release.

Meanwhile, he has sought to get his seized property back.

“The government should and must retain actual evidence of a crime where, as here, the defendant pled guilty to a crime that he may contest given the decision in Fischer,” prosecutors wrote on Friday to the judge overseeing Chansley’s case.

“The government would like to ensure finality in the appellate process in this and other cases,” prosecutors added. “The government’s request to continue to hold the property as evidence until such finality in the criminal prosecution is assured is thus appropriate.”

The Justice Department also said it may consider keeping Chansley’s spear and helmet as part of a civil forfeiture.
 
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