Jan. 6 rioter sentenced on gun charge
S.A. man’s conviction a byproduct of probe into Capitol uprising
A San Antonio man who was among the mob that breached the U.S. Capitol last year was sentenced Tuesday to three months of house arrest and five years of probation for a gun conviction stemming from when FBI agents searched his home here.
Chance Anthony Uptmore, 25, and his lawyer, John Convery, told U.S. District Judge Fred Biery that Uptmore has completely turned his life around.
Uptmore described himself as a “weedaholic” when FBI agents investigating the riot searched the home he shared with his father in early 2021.
They found 16 pounds of marijuana and various THC products, one-third of a pound of psilocybin mushrooms and a loaded .38 caliber revolver in Uptmore’s bedroom.
Biery found him guilty of one count of unlawful use of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, a federal felony.
Uptmore, who lost two brothers to unspecified “tragedies,” told the judge he began smoking marijuana about the time one of those siblings died five or six years ago. He smoked it all day, every day, but stopped completely shortly after his arrest, he said.
Convery said Uptmore also was distraught from the divorce of his parents. Uptmore apologized to his mother and his pregnant wife, who attended the hearing Tuesday. His father was not present.
“Sorry about everything,” Uptmore then told the court. “I have a kid on the way … and it’s opened my eyes. I feel like I’ve
gone through so many things that have shown me what my life is really about.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Kinskey asked the judge to impose at least a year of jail time, while Convery asked for leniency. The judge imposed five years of probation, warning Uptmore that if he broke the law again, he could sentence him to up to 10 years in prison. The judge added three months of home detention.
“The court … finds there are extenuating circumstances in terms of family tragedies,” Biery said. “But perhaps most importantly in this situation, this court has seen a complete,
180-degree turn in terms of addiction.”
In early April, Uptmore pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of illegally parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol, one of four charges he had faced in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
Uptmore went on a birthday trip in January 2021 with his father to the East Coast, attended thenpresident Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., and then joined the mob that breached the Capitol.
Uptmore told agents he entered the Capitol because he was caught up in the moment. His plea documents also said his father followed him into the building after advising him not to enter.
Convery said the Uptmores did not touch anything or anybody and even helped prevent others from stealing a painting from the walls.
Uptmore’s father, James Herman “Sonny” Uptmore, pleaded guilty in June to a misdemeanor charge of illegally parading demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol.
Both face sentencing in Washington on Oct. 25, and face no more than six months in jail, or even probation.
“He just wants to say, ‘I’m sorry’ and put the whole thing behind him,” Convery said of the younger Uptmore. “Everything.”