Justice Dept. prepares to engage in plea talks with many Capitol riot defendants

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

Two months into one of the biggest criminal investigations in U.S. history, prosecutors are preparing to start plea discussions as early as this week with many of the more than 300 suspects charged in the U.S. Capitol riot — even as investigators race to piece together larger conspiracy cases against those suspected of the most serious crimes, according to people familiar with the discussions. The planned plea talks follow efforts by the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office, which is overseeing the prosecutions, to first create a system for efficiently organizing what they expect will be upward of 400 criminal cases and the growing pile of associated evidence, these people said.

Like others, they spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. “We hope to start extending plea offers within the next week or so,” said one person familiar with the investigation. FBI agents and prosecutors are rushing to understand the actions and intentions of not just individuals, but also extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, and exactly how a mob of roughly 800 people broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 — a process that has drawn complaints from some defendants who argue their cases are being delayed to accommodate the Justice Department’s heavy workload.

“The way to think about this is that they are approaching it the same way they would approach organized-crime cases,” said Peter Skinner, a former federal prosecutor in New York who has managed large conspiracy cases. “The key difference is, organized-crime cases are typically investigated under wraps, with wiretaps, but in this case, the FBI has to work backward.” The blistering pace of the FBI’s work was highlighted in an indictment unsealed late last week against alleged Proud Boys organizers, saying the four men charged and others not yet named scrambled to arrange new communications channels in the days before the riot, apparently out of concern that police could review their previous messages to one another.

And on Sunday, the former interim U.S. attorney for D.C., Michael R. Sherwin, reiterated his belief that charges of seditious conspiracy could be brought against some defendants. Seditious conspiracy is a rarely applied criminal charge used against those who use violence to hinder the execution of federal law. “I personally believe the evidence is trending toward that, and probably meets those elements,” Sherwin said in a “60 Minutes” interview on CBS two days after he stepped down from supervising the investigation. “I believe the facts do support those charges. And I think that, as we go forward, more facts will support that.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/capitol-riot-investigation-plea-deals/2021/03/19/161221bc-88ca-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html

---

[LakeArenal]

1. Insurrectionists cause heavy DOJ caseload, then complain.

“process that has drawn complaints from some defendants who argue their cases are being delayed to accommodate the Justice Department’s heavy workload.”

I wish there was a pouty face emoji.
Or a stamp my foot.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Some might consider this

[sheshe2]

6. That one works for me.

[BumRushDaShow]

7. ...

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. As long as each of them serve at least 5 years

in federal prison, and were not actively assaulting anyone, vandalizing anything, or stealing, then sure, that should be the offer.

Everyone else goes to trial.

[LakeArenal]

15. Going to jail is not a white guy thing tho.

But I like that idea.

[BComplex]

4. I'm in favor of not making deals, except to cut prison sentences by 20% or so.

Other than that, I say let's lock 'em all up!

[Evolve Dammit]

5. In their quest to find the organizers, I hope they don't let the violent ones walk. nt.

[ancianita]

8. I'm for no plea deal if evidence proves they knew of the EC confirmation that day.

AG Garland said he'd prosecute Jan 6 defendants to the fullest extent of the law.
Proof of sedition should compel a sedition charge.
Going out of their way to head to Washington on that day shows intent, and sudden white ignorance pleas, under cover of political support for their pendejo45, are no excuse.

[hedda_foil]

9. They all knew about the confirmation that day. That was the other guy's whole point.

[ancianita]

11. We know they knew. I just want the DOJ to have enough proof of that to press for sedition.

[tinrobot]

10. If they can flip some with pleas in order to get the bigger fish, then maybe.

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Don't let these miscreants off lightly

Jail time and fines. Gradations of jail time and fines. Years not months, and five figures not four as a minimum.

[tableturner]

13. Plea bargains will be offered to get higher-ups, NOT as gifts to those offered.

But yes....some of them, who some of you have stated you would hate to see get plea bargains based on how seriously you classify their crimes, WILL rightfully get offered pleas bargains, because it is more important to get to the actual organizers than to have the toughest sentence possible imposed on some ignorant tool who doesn't know his head from his ass.

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. Did they offer deals for sedition in a previous time they attacked the U.S. government?

Didn't think so.

[Mr.Bill]

16. And make sure their guilty pleas

are to crimes that will prohibit them from owning guns for the rest of their life.

[mpcamb]

17. Several years of "breaking rocks in the hot sun"?

Alternative sentencing...

[JT45242]

18. hit them with 18 U.S. Code § 2331domestic terrorism to move up the food chain

They fit the definition from https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/2331

(5)the term “domestic terrorism” means activities that—
(A)involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B)appear to be intended—
(i)to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii)to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or
(iii)to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C)occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States; and

Causes all the charges to be served consecutively. They will then plea to remove that sanction and get up to the real planners -- it should not take long to get to the top of the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Roger Stone, Mike Flynn's who will then turn on the leaders who met at Trump's hotel in DC before the event. Still waiting to see who the Senators other than Tuberville were there. Tommy T will squeal quickly and throw everyone under the bus just like he did in the face of recruiting violations as a coach.

I would also throw multiple felony murder counts on all of them as it was foreseeable that someone could get hurt and potentially die because of their felony behavior.

[Lucky Luciano]

19. No plea deals. Hang 'em high!

[Ligyron]

20. Just what the hell did they think was gonna happen to them?

When are they gonna figure out Hannity et al are engaging in deception to keep their ratings up and their little minds trained elsewhere So many of their CT's have fallen flat on their fat face. I remember Devon Nunes midnight ride and OMG how Sean Spamity was gonna lay out the whole hideous dem/fbi conspiracy, you just wait ... any day now Nunes was going to show how the whole Muller investigation started when George Papadopoulos ... oh, wait.

[BumRushDaShow]

21. Well March 4th came and went

and March 20th also came and went. I suppose they could aim for Hitler's birthday on April 20.

MOOOooooones needs to be locked up.