Judge scolds 'rioter and insurrectionist' after he tries to portray himself as a mere 'observer'
A man who breached the United States Capitol building on January 6th, 2021 got a scolding from a judge on Thursday after he tried to portray himself as a mere "observer" who was there to document the deadly riots.
As reported by NBC News' Scott MacFarlane, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly was not impressed by Capitol rioter Jesus Rivera's expressions of remorse that he shared with the court, as well as his claim that he was at the Capitol simply to create a historical video record of the riots.
"I do want to apologize to the Congress and the American people," Rivera said. "I had no ill-intent that day... my only intent was the capture what was going on at the Capitol that day."
Judge Kollar-Kotelly then proceeded to read messages that Rivera sent in the wake of the riots that showed no remorse for what had happened.
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"Shortly after returning home from the Insurrection at the US Capitol, the defendant sent a message [saying] 'I can honestly say I had a great time," she said. "Referring to the insurrection, Mr. Rivera said 'This is what we need.'"
Kollar-Kotelly argued that such messages made a mockery of Rivera's claim to have just been a documentarian.
"He was a rioter and an insurrectionist," she argued. "Not just an observer."
The judge proceeded to sentence Rivera to eight months in prison, just short of the nine months being sought by federal prosecutors.