Some Capitol riot suspects apologize as consequences sink in
The helmetwearing Idaho man photographed dangling by one hand from the Senate’s balcony during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol turned himself in six days later. While buckled in the vehicle delivering him to the Boise jail, Josiah Colt made a video apologizing and expressing shame for storming the building.
Jacob Chansley, the selfdescribed QAnon Shaman who posed for photos on the Senate dais while sporting face paint and a furry hat with horns, also lacks the enthusiasm he once showed for the riot. A month later, he wrote an apology from jail, asking for understanding as he was coming to grips with his actions.
Confronted with compelling video and photographic evidence in court, dozens of rioters have apologized and expressed regret as the consequences of their actions have started to sink in. The ramifications include potential job losses, financial ruin and possible time behind bars.
“This is going to have consequences for these people for the rest of their lives — and it should,” said John Flannery, a former federal prosecutor and Capitol Hill lawyer.
Another possible consequence for Colt and others captured in photographs that went viral before they even left the Capitol building: ignominy beyond their lifetimes as those images make their way into history books.
A lawyer for Dominic Pezzola, who authorities say is a member of the extremist group Proud Boys and broke a Capitol window with a police shield, said in
a filing that his client’s incarceration has placed his wife and two children in desperate financial straits.
Several workers at a floor installation business Pezzola manages are also out of work because Pezzola is jailed, attorney Jonathan Zucker wrote in a February filing seeking Pezzola’s release pending trial.
Pezzola, the attorney wrote, was sorry for his actions, which included posting a video giving a triumphant speech inside the Capitol while smoking a “victory” cigar.
“Since his arrest, having time to reflect and see how things have revealed themselves, he now realizes he was duped into these mistaken beliefs “that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump, Zucker wrote.
Colt, who had expressed devotion to Trump and called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a traitor, seemed to recognize the long-term consequences of his actions in the Capitol in the minutes before his arrest as he spoke on the video, later posted by KBOI-TV.
“I never intended to do anything that would bring a black eye to my family,
country, me,” he said, adding that he had received death threats.
Regret has struck some rioters sooner than others.
The day after Chad Jones allegedly swung a flag pole at police just outside the House chamber, he told a friend he was an “idiot,” adding he knew he was “in big trouble,” according to court documents.
He was right. A week later a federal complaint charged him with, among other things, using a weapon — the flag pole — to assault an officer. The charges carry a maximum 60 years in prison.
Samuel Camargo, who had posted a video on Instagram showing him tussling with police trying to get through a door to the Capitol, was on Facebook a day later with his apology.
“I’m sorry to all the people I’ve disappointed as this is not who I am nor what I stand for,” he wrote. Camargo, too, was charged.
It didn’t necessarily help his case. A judge ordered Camargo, who was arrested in Washington on Inauguration Day, jailed until trial after concluding no release condition could ensure Camargo’s future appearance in court.