An Arizona Capitol riot defendant will be first rioter with Proud Boys ties to plead guilty, lawyer says
Erin Snodgrass | Publié le | Mis à jour le
- A Capitol riot defendant with ties to the Proud Boys will plead guilty, his lawyer said Wednesday.
- Prosecutors allege Micajah Jackson walked with members of the far-right group outside the Capitol.
- Jackson has continued to spread baseless conspiracy theories about the attack since his arrest.
A Capitol riot defendant with ties to the Proud Boys plans to plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge related to the insurrection, his lawyer said Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege Micajah Jackson , 25, was photographed walking with members of the far-right group outside the US Capitol on January 6 and was with the group when they broke through the first barriers . Jackson was also photographed wearing an orange arm band, which he told investigators was given to him by the Proud Boys of Arizona.
The Arizona veteran was arrested in May and currently faces criminal charges of knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and violent entry. He initially pleaded not guilty.
During a Wednesday hearing, Jackson's attorney told Judge Randolph Moss her client plans to accept the government's plea deal, according to The Arizona Republic. The proposed deal is similar to other pleas that rioters who aren't accused of violence have struck with prosecutors in recent months, CNN reported. Jackson could face up to six months for the sole charge.
The expected deal will mark the first Capitol riot defendant with apparent ties to the Proud Boys to plead guilty to charges related to the attack. Several other members of the anti-government group and those connected to the organization have also been charged in the Capitol attack.
Since his arrest, Jackson has continued to propagate conspiracy theories about the insurrection, falsely accusing the US government and liberal organizations of coordinating the attack, and defending his own presence at the Capitol by claiming he was documenting the event.
"I expose political propaganda. I just wanted to go to document, research and interview," Jackson told The Republic in May.
Last month, Jackson appeared at a "Justice for January 6" rally in Arizona to show support for Capitol riot defendants. Also in attendance was a group of self-proclaimed Proud Boys, with whom Jackson, as a condition of his pre-trial release, is not allowed to associate.
Jackson's lawyer previously told CNN that he didn't know the Proud Boys would be in attendance and didn't speak to them at the event.
According to The Republic, Jackson's presence at the rally was not discussed during Wednesday's hearing.
But even as recently as Friday, Jackson appeared to double down on many of his conspiracies, posting a 21-minute YouTube video in which he claimed the country was fighting a "civil war" against socialism.
"We have a Second Amendment for a reason. And God, we will win this battle," Jackson said.
A lawyer for Jackson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
More than 650 people have been arrested in relation to the deadly Capitol attack, and about 100 have pleaded guilty thus far.
Via PakApNews