January 6 riot defendant acquitted by court on all charges; federal judge convinced defendant was let in freely by police

By maryvillarealdw // 2022-04-11

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A January 6 riot defendant was acquitted by the court on all charges. The federal judge was convinced that the defendant was let into the Capitol building freely by police officers. The defendant, Matthew Martin, was an engineer from New Mexico, and was charged with four misdemeanors: disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; entering and remaining in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Meanwhile, over 770 people have been charged with related federal crimes for the January 6 riots, with over 240 pleading guilty and 140 already sentenced. Martin was the first to argue that the Capitol Police allowed him to enter the building, and was the first recipient of an outright acquittal. (Related: Judicial Watch sues U.S. Capitol Police in pursuit of emails and videos pertaining to Jan. 6 riots.) According to Martin's testimony, he was inside the Capitol on January 6 after briefly attending former President Donald Trump's rally, and then went back to his hotel. He returned to the Capitol for what he thought would be another rally, saying that he was "let in" by the police and that he didn't notice any security barriers. Martin testified that upon entering the Capitol building, he made his way through the Rotunda and left. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that Martin's claims were "plausible" because police officers weren't making any attempt to stop him or those around him from entering the premises. "People were streaming by and the officers made no attempt to stop the people. I do think the defendant reasonably believed the officers allowed him into the Capitol," the judge said, adding that Martin's conduct for the mere 10 minutes he was inside, was "about as minimal and not serious as I can imagine." CBS News also noted that video evidence backed his claims. With Martin's movements documented using CCTV footage from inside the Capitol, he was not charged in connection with any of the violence seen during the riots. He was also not found to be a member of any extremist group. The video played at the trial also appeared to show an officer moving his arm in a waving motion inside the building as the rioters moved past them. Martin went on to say that when he returned to his hotel a second time, he exchanged text messages with his then-supervisor from work, stating: "It was beautiful. I will remember today for the rest of my life." However, he did not tell his boss about his entry into the Capitol. He did, however, tell her that there was "not as much security as you'd think," and that "they were not prepared." During his cross-examination, Martin said he called January 6 a "magical" day because of the spirit he saw in the streets and the many Trump supporters that he encountered.

DOJ tramples rights of riot defendants

Federal prosecutors also described a "rare mistake" when they admitted to violating the rights of another Capitol riot defendant and asked the judge to dismiss the criminal charges against him. In the middle of this issue was Lucas Denney of Texas, and lawyers from the U.S. Attorney's Office admitted that they have violated his right to a speedy trial as he was put behind bars for weeks without being formally indicted, although they said that "there was nothing intentional or nefarious about the delay." Denney's charges were more egregious than those of Martin's and he was detained in December without bail. However, he was not transferred to Washington for six weeks. Once there, nobody contacted the D.C. court to get him a hearing for over three weeks. A federal judge slammed the Department of Justice (DOJ) for "trampling" Denney's rights, who later pleaded guilty to a felony assault charge. Of the over 775 people charged in the Capitol riot, at least two other defendants are still held without bond. Nicholas James Brockhoff was arrested in May 2021 and pleaded not guilty in early September. Ryan Samsel was arrested on January 30, 2021 but wasn't indicted until August. (Related: Maxine Waters won't be punished for inciting riots. That's why Republicans keep losing.) Meanwhile, other judges are not bound by McFadden's analysis of Martin's claims about the police. However, the latest ruling allows other defendants to consider going to trial to test the government cases against them instead of simply pleading guilty to misdemeanors in an attempt to move forward. Follow Rioting.news for more updates regarding the January 6 riots. Watch the video below to know more about the verdicts concerning the January 6 riots, and how this can affect the political establishment. This video is from the SecureLife channel on Brighteon.com.

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DOJ tramples rights of riot defendants

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