Christian Secor, a student at UCLA storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, criticized by a former vice presidential candidate
On Jan. 6, 2021, Christian Secor, a student at UCLA, broke into the U.S. Capitol along with hundreds of rioters, entered the Senate chamber while carrying the flag of an extremist anti-immigrant and antisemitic movement, and sat in the chair recently vacated by former Vice President Mike Pence.
Secor posted a picture on his social networking site that showed the Capitolriot in which more than 140 police officers were injured. He wrote that one day had accomplished more for conservativism than the last 30 years.
Secor had asked for a sentence of two years’ probation, with no prison time. His defense attorney noted that he did not commit any violence during the Capitol riot, and argued that his young age weighed in favor of leniency, citing research on the development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex into a person’s 20s.
Judge Trevor McFadden, who was nominated to the federal court by former President Donald Trump, said Secor’s conduct was, “about as blatant and obstructive as any [he’s] seen from that day that didn’t include actual violence.”
The probation office recommended a decrease in the sentencing guidelines due to Secor accepting responsibility for his actions, and the defense submitted letters in support of Secor’s remorse.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall, the prosecutor in the case, emphasized Secor’s enthusiasm for guns and his involvement with America First, which the government called an extremist group.
She also said that Secor’s specific presence in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, and in Vice President Mike Pence’s chair on the Senate Floor, were concerning given his prior comments about civil war.
In addition to storming the Capitol, prosecutors had raised concerns regarding Secor’s purchases of firearms and tactical gear from stores, his discussion on text messages of conducting future operations that were “ultra secret” and a video in which he used an assault-style rifle in his room.
Secor didn’t say anything at his hearing, other than to say that the messages referred to a business idea and not violence.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2022/10/19/1129912913/a-former-ucla-student-was-sentenced-to-over-three-years-in-prison-for-capitol-ri
The Capitol Siege and the “Froypers” of January 6, 2005: John A. Secor, aka Donald J. Fuentes
“This late development of the prefrontal cortex can explain in part, but not excuse, why Christian may have made the choices he did on January 6,” his attorney wrote. “His lack of maturity, along with his lack of judgment, led him to where he is today.”
Secor led a campus group named the America First Bruins at UCLA which was named after the school’s mascot, and was involved in an extremist movement led by a livestreamer named Nick Fuentes.
The DOJ prosecutors said that Fuentes was known for making racist statements and celebrating fascists. He supports domestic violence against women and promotes Holocaust denial. His followers are often referred to as “Groypers,” a reference to the “Pepe The Frog” meme that became popular on the far-right.
Secor advanced Fuentes’ political movement at UCLA, and also made anti-immigrant and antisemitic comments, according to court documents and interviews with other students. Secor said in a series of postings that he supported nationalism and did not support extreme Jewish representation in politically relevant sectors.
After Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Fuentes helped organize “Stop The Steal” protests, and cheered on the crowd of Trump supporters in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6. He said it was a “glorious day” and that the Capitol Siege was great. The congressional committee is investigating the attack on the Capitol. The Capitol riot has not resulted in a criminal charge against Fuentes.
Oona Flood warned about Secor and his extreme rhetoric on campus before he participated in the Capitol riot. Flood said that they hoped the prison sentence for Secr sent a message to students of the far right that they can’t get away with everything.
The person who was at the front of a mob that chased Eugene Goodman has been sentenced to five years in prison.
In September, a jury unanimously convicted Douglas Jensen of seven of the eight charges he was facing, including obstruction of an official proceeding and assault on a police officer.
Jensen will serve his time and be on supervised release for 36 months after being found guilty of causing $60,000 in damage to the Capitol.
Kelly said that the long history of a peaceful transition of power in the US was “snapped” by Jensen and others. It is broken and we cannot get that back.
On January 6, Jensen scaled a wall and went into the Capitol to demand that police arrest him because of his baseless conspiracy theory that former President Donald Trump would expose.
“He believed the ‘storm’ had arrived and that corrupt politicians were going to be arrested,” Jensen’s attorney, Christopher Davis, wrote in a court filing, referring to the belief by QAnon followers in a day of reckoning for corrupt politicians and deep state operatives.
According to prosecutors, Jensen told the FBI in an interview after January 6 that what he did that day “would have been worth it” if Trump had remained in power.
Jensen was surrounded by police for almost 30 minutes as he faced off with them in an area guarded by more police officers.
US Capitol Police Inspector Tom Lloyd, who gave a statement during Friday’s sentencing, said “there would have been tremendous bloodshed” were it not for Goodman’s actions that day.