Sword-Packing MAGA Fanatics Busted in Philly Vote Scheme Joined Capitol Riot, Prosecutors Say

[eppur_se_muova]

Kelly Weill
Wed, January 13, 2021, 7:11 PM

Two men who were arrested for allegedly bringing an AR-15 and a samurai sword to a Philadelphia vote-count center in November face a motion to have their bail revoked after prosecutors accused them of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the nation’s Capitol.

Antonio Lamotta and Joshua Macias were first arrested on November 5, after they allegedly drove from Virginia to Philadelphia in a Hummer festooned with a QAnon decal. The men, who allegedly brought a rifle, ammunition, and a sword with them, were vocal proponents of conspiracy theories that falsely claim President-elect Joe Biden cheated to win the election.

They left jail last month after each posted 10 percent of a $750,000 bail.

But prosecutors filed to revoke LaMotta’s bail on Tuesday, as the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported. The filing alleged that not only did the pair travel to the deadly Jan. 6 rally, but that Macias even gave a speech as rioters stormed the building.
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https://www.yahoo.com/news/maga-fanatics-busted-philly-vote-011143408.html

[Jirel]

1. THESE guys again?

They're a pair to watch. They are not just MAGA yahoos. They are grifters who bring in large amounts of stolen money into this insurrection movement.

How do I know? I had a client, and their associates, who were almost taken in for tens of thousands of dollars, possibly hundreds of thousands total just from this area, in a fraudulent "investment" scheme run by these asshats. The grift was not hard to prove, and fell apart with light doxxing and some basic due diligence on the corporation's history. Optically, their scheme looked very enticing to someone who would not start digging for serious dirt.

I can only imagine how many times they ran this grift across this and many other states. The charges against them personally, here, and just the tip of the iceberg of what they should be charged with. They're money guys for what is happening in D.C.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Joshua Macias, the 42-year-old founder of Vets for Trump, and Antonio Lamotta, a 61-year-old member"

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9147225/Two-men-took-AR-15-Philadelphia-vote-count-bail-revoked-MAGA-mob.html
(headline is inaccurate; bail was not revoked)

Sound like quite a pair.

[kimbutgar]

3. Hopefully they will not have acceasn to the Internet in jail.

All these maga terrorists need to lose access to the Internet sitting in their jail cells.

[FakeNoose]

4. Original article in Daily Beast has more details

(link) https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-fanatics-antonio-lamotta-and-joshua-macias-busted-in-philly-scheme-joined-capitol-riot-prosecutors-say?source=articles&via=rss

The office of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, however, argues that both men participated in the riot, either by trespassing on Capitol grounds or by actions connected to the attack. Macias, who leads the group “Vets for Trump,” gave a speech at the event, during which he shouted out his friend “Tony” (ie. Lamotta) on stage.

“With the defendant at his side, [Macias] gave a speech to a crowd inciting a riot,” prosecutors’ motion to revoke bail for Lamotta reads. “During that speech, the rioters overran the Capitol Police Officers stationed at the door of the Capitol and invaded the building in a manner not seen since the War of 1812.”

In his speech, Macias called Vice President Mike Pence a traitor, and called on Trump to invoke the Insurrection Act to retain power—a common appeal among militant Trump fans.

“MIKE PENCE IS A BENEDICT ARNOLD,” Macias said, according to a transcript in the bail revocation motion. “We believed in you, Vice President. We had hope that you would do what’s right for our Constitution. I stood with you on stage, sir. We believed in you. You backstabbed the veterans, backstabbed these patriots. That’s why we’re here. President Trump, you have the ability to pass, you have the strength sir. The Insurrection Act is now! You have the power sir, and we support you 110%.”

More at links - both Yahoo and Daily Beast.

[SheltieLover]

5. Precisely why violent offenders should not be granted bail

It's not rocket science.