Her announcement follows a half-hour trial on Wednesday afternoon in which a prosecutor and Pezzola’s defense lawyer question him about whether the Proud Boys member is so dangerous that he should stay behind bars.
‘I come to the conclusion that the government has proved that Mr. “Pezzola must be kept unrelated,” the judge said.
Meriweather said she was concerned that Pezzola might try something similar to the Capitol riot in the future, due to his strong belief that the current government is illegal. She said she was concerned about government allegations that an informant said Pezzola was part of a group that agreed to return to Washington to cause more problems, possibly by killing officials, and by the fact that the FBI found a flash drive in Pezzola’s home. contains a copy of ‘The Anarchist Cookbook’, a well-known guide to making homemade bombs, poison and weapons.
The most striking aspect of the court hearing was not the judge’s ruling or the submissions made by the two advocates, but the fact that senators demonstrated during the Trump’s indictment by the attorneys is shown on videos of Pezzola holding a window at the Capitol smashed during the early stages of battle.
In fact, one of the Home Managers, Del. Stacey Plaskett (DV.I.), Pezzola repeatedly checked with names and detailed aspects of the case against him, noting that he was wearing a hearing aid and was one of the first to trespass on the building. .
No mention was made of the Senate hearing during the trial, but the vivid images and videos seem to have undermined Pezzola’s argument that he simply played a part in the events of January 6.
“Being at the forefront of a queue does not make you a leader,” Pezzola’s attorney Jonathan Zucker told the judge during the trial.
Pezzola is facing seven charges, including conspiracy, assault on a police officer, robbery and obstruction of Congress. Zucker said his client paid too much for someone whose worst act broke a window.
“They are outspoken here to charge serious crimes, but they really do not have the element of violence or danger,” the defense said. “It is not alleged that he tried to hurt anyone, threatened to hurt or actually hurt anyone.”
But a prosecutor insisted that Pezzola’s actions helped put the Capitol storm in motion.
“At that point, he was the first to violate the Capitol so well that other rioters could flow through,” said U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson. “His actions there at that window had numerous people entering the building before any legislative chamber was evacuated.”
Kenerson also argued that Pezzola’s actions met the definition of terrorism because he was trying to influence or intimidate the government by interrupting voter turnout.
“He has committed several violent crimes and a crime that is defined in that process as terrorism,” the prosecutor said. “There is no indication that he has changed his mind since January 6 to incite rebellion.”
The robbery for which Pezzola is accused wrestles a riot shield from a U.S. Capitol police officer during the clashes, Kenerson said. This is the shield that Pezzola later used to break a window, the prosecutor added. He also stressed that Pezzola was “part of a coordinated effort, not a lone actor.”
However, Zucker insisted that his client’s connection with the Proud Boys was limited, as he was only at one other event arranged by the group.
“This is not someone who has a long history with the Proud Boys,” the defense attorney said. “By all accounts, his involvement is de minimis.”
While Zucker did not increase Trump’s role during the trial on Wednesday, in a court case the lawyer said earlier in the day that the client’s actions were cited by the president’s statements alleging that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
‘[D]”Efendant acted out of the delusion that he was a ‘patriot’ protecting his country … He responded to the requests of the then Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, ‘Zucker wrote. The president insisted that the election had been stolen and that it was the duty of loyal citizens to ‘stop the theft’. While there was no rational basis for the claim, it appears that the defendant was one of the millions of Americans who were deceived by the president’s deception. ”
Pezzola is not the first to be charged in the Capitol uprising, citing Trump’s calls as the motivation to go ahead and break the Capitol. But he is with several other members of the Proud Boys in connection with the most serious charges in connection with January 6th.
His submission is also more sharply aimed at Trump than many of the other rioters Trump mentioned.
“As a result, many of those who have heeded his call will spend quite a few portions if not the rest of their lives in prison,” Zucker wrote. “Meanwhile, Donald Trump is resuming his life of luxury and privilege.”
Pezzola’s criticism of Trump is in line with the case House indictment officials filed Wednesday during opening arguments during his Senate hearing on a charge of inciting the insurgency. The executives claim that Trump was the ‘single’ cause of the riots and that his supporters responded to his calls when they stormed the Capitol.
Pezzola can appeal the magistrate’s detention decision to the district judge of the district court, who has been assigned to his case, Timothy Kelly. At the end of Wednesday’s hearing, Zucker suggested such an appeal would come after Meriweather issued a written statement of her ruling.