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☆ Ex-Military Police Officer Sentenced to Prison for Role in Capitol Riot
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Ed Shanahan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A former Army National Guard police officer was sentenced to two and a half years in prison on Tuesday after admitting that he pepper-sprayed law enforcement officers, while a mob of former President Donald J. Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He surrendered two days later, and in April he pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding officers during the Capitol riot, federal prosecutors said. Judge James E. Boasberg of Federal District Court in Washington, D.C., also sentenced Mr. Yetman to 18 months of supervised release and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution. Prosecutors had sought a 45-month prison term; Mr. Yetman’s lawyer, Nicholas D. Smith, had asked for 17 months. Mr. Smith declined to comment on the sentence.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Gregory C, James E, Yetman, Prosecutors, Yetman’s, Nicholas D, Smith Organizations: Army National Guard, U.S, Capitol, Guard, Court, Washington , D.C Locations: Helmetta, N.J, New Jersey, Federal, Washington ,

Chief Judge James Boasberg agreed with prosecutors that Edward Richmond Jr., 40, of Geismar, Louisiana, is a danger to the community. Last Wednesday, a federal magistrate judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ordered Richmond's release from custody. The judge ordered Richmond to surrender to the U.S. It's important to me also,” the judge told Richmond, who appeared remotely with his Louisiana-based attorney, John McLindon. Richmond was dressed in tactical gear when he attacked police outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit.

Persons: James Boasberg, Edward Richmond Jr, herder, ”, Richmond, Prosecutors, Boasberg, “, John McLindon, McLindon, Muhamad Husain Kadir, Kadir, Donald Trump, Sheets, he's Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Capitol, U.S . Army, U.S . Marshals Service, Richmond, Army, The Army, FBI, Police Locations: Iraq, Geismar , Louisiana, Richmond, Louisiana, Iraqi, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, West Terrace, Victoria, Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who stormed the U.S. Capitol with fellow Proud Boys extremist group members was sentenced on Wednesday to six years in prison after he berated and insulted the judge who punished him. The judge warned Bru that he could be kicked out of the courtroom if he continued to disrupt the proceedings. Prosecutors described Bru as one of the least remorseful rioters who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He later joined other rioters inside the Capitol and entered the Senate gallery, where he flashed a hand gesture associated with the Proud Boys as he posed for selfie photos. He has “continued to spew disinformation” from jail since his re-arrest and trial, prosecutors said.

Persons: Marc Bru, James Boasberg, ”, Bru, “, Prosecutors, —, ” Bru, ” Prosecutors, Jan, Boasberg, “ Bru, Donald Trump's “ Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S, Capitol, Boys, Prosecutors, Bru, Twitter, FBI, Police, The Associated Press Locations: Portland , Oregon, Washington ,, Washington, Peace, Portland, Vancouver , Washington, Idaho and Montana, Montana

Frank Rocco Giustino pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge related to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg told Giustino that he seemed to have no remorse for his conduct on Jan. 6 or any respect for the court's authority. I think the U.S. marshal should come after you, not me,” Giustino told the judge, punctuating his rant with expletives directed at a prosecutor. Giustino pleaded guilty in February to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of six months of incarceration. Nearly 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries or judges after trials.

Persons: Trump, profanely, Frank Rocco Giustino, James Boasberg, Giustino, I've, ”, Prosecutors, “ We’re, ” Giustino, punctuating, expletives, Attorney Douglas Collyer, “, ” Collyer, Joe Biden's, ’ Organizations: WASHINGTON, U.S . Capitol, U.S, District, Capitol, Attorney, Facebook, Trump, Republican, Washington , D.C Locations: York, U.S, Florida, Washington ,

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who attacked an Associated Press photographer and threw a flagpole and smoke grenade at police officers guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison. Milstreed told the judge that it was painful to watch his violent acts and hear his combative language that day. Capitol Police Officer Devan Gowdy suffered a concussion when Milstreed hurled his wooded club at a line of officers. “January 6th is a day that will be burned into my brain and my nightmares for the rest of my life,” Gowdy told the judge. He told another Facebook friend that it “felt good” to punch the photographer, whose assault was captured on video by another AP photographer.

Persons: Rodney Milstreed, “, ”, ’, James Boasberg, Milstreed, Boasberg, Devan Gowdy, ” Gowdy, Gowdy, Donald Trump, Trump, I’ve, Alan Byerly, Pennsylvania —, Jan Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, U.S, Capitol, District, Prosecutors, Milstreed's Maryland, Washington , D.C, White House, West Plaza Locations: Finksburg , Maryland, “, Colorado, Milstreed's, Maryland, Washington ,, Plaza, West, Pennsylvania

☆ Trump protester turned conspiracy target Ray Epps pleads guilty to Jan. 6 disorderly conduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ray Epps, in the red Trump hat, center, gestures to a line of law enforcement officers, as people gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021. Ray Epps, who was targeted by right-wing conspiracy theorists after he protested then-President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss, pleaded guilty Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge related to his actions on the day of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Epps did not enter the U.S. Capitol that day, but he was on restricted grounds outside the building during the riot, prosecutors noted. The terms of Epps' plea agreement allow the government to access his social media accounts from around the time of the Capitol riot, NBC reported. Epps, a former member of the right-wing Oath Keepers group, had traveled to Washington, D.C., to protest the 2020 election results.

Persons: Ray Epps, Donald Trump's, Epps, Joe Biden's, James Boasberg Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Trump, U.S . Capitol, District, NBC News, NBC, FBI Locations: Washington ,

☆ Pro-Trump protester Ray Epps set to plead guilty to Jan. 6 disorderly conduct charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ray Epps, in the red Trump hat, center, gestures to others as people gather on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 6, 2021. Ray Epps , the pro-Trump protester at the center of right-wing conspiracy theories about the government orchestrating the Capitol riot, plans to plead guilty Wednesday to a disorderly conduct charge related to his presence there, his attorney said. Epps, who is a former member of the right-wing Oath Keepers group, traveled to Washington, D.C., to protest the 2020 election results. In Monday's filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., Epps was charged with one count of knowingly engaging in "disorderly and disruptive conduct" with the "intent to impede and disrupt" the government's activity taking place Jan. 6. Epps' conduct "did in fact impede and disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business and official functions," U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves wrote in the two-page information.

Persons: Ray Epps, Epps, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Edward Ungvarsky, Mike Pence, Trump, James Boasberg, Tucker Carlson, Matthew Graves Organizations: U.S, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Electoral, NBC News, Trump, FBI, U.S . Department of Justice, Fox News, Government Locations: Washington ,, Washington

Mr. De Oliveira was also charged in the superseding indictment, which cited testimony from a witness who appeared to be Mr. Taveras. Mr. Taveras has not been charged in the case. Mr. Woodward’s fees have been paid by Save America, the political action committee aligned with Mr. Trump. The PAC was seeded with small donations from Mr. Trump’s supporters, who responded to his calls to help him prove what he falsely claimed was widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Trump advisers have insisted that there is no connection between any witness’s testimony and payment of their legal fees.

Persons: De Oliveira, Taveras, Trump, Trump’s, James E, “, Judge Boasberg, Woodward, Nauta, ” Organizations: Save America, Mr, Trump, First, Federal Locations: Mar, Washington

REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday revived part of a lawsuit claiming that the District of Columbia enforced an anti-graffiti law against anti-abortion protesters in Washington but not racial justice demonstrators in 2020. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. The foundation claimed D.C. authorities abandoned enforcement of the anti-graffiti law during widespread protests in the city following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg dismissed the lawsuit in 2021, finding that the groups did not produce evidence of discriminatory intent by the D.C. government. “It is fundamental to our free speech rights that the government cannot pick and choose between speakers, not when regulating and not when enforcing the laws,” the court said.

Persons: Samuel Alito, Wade, Elizabeth Frantz, “, Frederick Douglass, George Floyd, Erin Hawley, James Boasberg, Andrew Goudsward, David Bario, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Supreme, Washington , D.C, REUTERS, of Columbia, Appeals, Frederick, Frederick Douglass Foundation, Life, Washington, Alliance Defending, District, D.C, U.S . Constitution, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, Washington, America, Minneapolis, U.S .

☆ Federal appeals court tosses state antitrust suit seeking to break up Meta
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The decision is a blow to regulators who have cited Meta as a prime example of the way tech giants have allegedly abused their dominance. And it casts a shadow over a parallel antitrust case against Meta that was brought by the Federal Trade Commission at around the same time. The states’ original complaint had sought to unwind Meta’s past acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, accusing the company of a “buy-or-bury” approach that violated antitrust laws. In addition, Randolph wrote, state allegations claiming that Meta’s — then Facebook’s — policies placing restrictions on app developers were anticompetitive didn’t hold up. Last year, the same federal judge who dismissed the state suit, James Boasberg, allowed the federal suit to proceed.

Companies Meta Platforms Inc FollowWASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Thursday refused to revive a lawsuit filed by states against Meta's (META.O) Facebook that alleged the company had broken antitrust law. Dozens of states led by New York asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last year to reinstate the lawsuit, which U.S. District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia rejected, saying they had waited too long to file. The three-judge unanimous appeals court panel said it agreed that "the states unduly delayed in bringing suit." Both were publicized," Circuit Judge A. Raymond Randolph wrote, noting that the FTC had investigated both transactions. Neither the New York attorney general's office nor Facebook immediately responded to a request for comment.

☆ Trump appeals order for Pence to testify in special counsel Jan. 6 probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump are trying to block ex-Vice President Mike Pence from testifying in a special counsel investigation of Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, NBC News reported Monday. Trump's legal team has appealed that order from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., NBC reported, citing a source familiar with the litigation. The spokesman, who also derided special counsel Jack Smith's probe as a "witch hunt," said those standards "protect a President's ability to confer with his Vice President on matters of the security of the United States." Attorneys for Trump and spokespeople for Pence and the special counsel did not immediately respond to CNBC's requests for comment. Boasberg ordered Pence to comply with the grand jury subpoena late last month, NBC reported.

☆ Mike Pence will testify before a grand jury about Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Oma Seddiq | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pence will not fight a court ruling ordering him to testify before a grand jury about Trump efforts to overturn the 2020 election. A federal judge ruled last month that Pence must testify about conversations he had with Trump leading up to January 6, 2021. Trump pressured Pence, both publicly and privately, to assist in his efforts to overturn Biden's 2020 election victory. Trump supporters could be heard chanting that they wanted to "hang Mike Pence" during the Capitol riot, according to video footage. They're literally calling for the vice president to be effing hung,'" Hutchinson testified.

☆ Mike Pence Ordered to Testify in Jan. 6 Probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Jan Wolfe | Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence has said he would challenge the subpoena issued by special counsel Jack Smith ‘if needs be to the Supreme Court.’WASHINGTON—A judge ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence must testify before a grand jury about conversations he had with former President Donald Trump before Jan. 6, 2021, rejecting executive privilege claims by Mr. Trump, people familiar with the ruling said. The ruling Tuesday by Judge James Boasberg , which is under seal, said while Mr. Pence isn’t immune from testifying about any illegal conduct by Mr. Trump, the former vice president can decline to answer some questions relating to his role as president of the Senate during the certification that day of President Biden’s victory, according to one of the people.

☆ Mike Pence must testify before grand jury investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, judge rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A federal judge ruled that Pence must provide testimony in the federal investigation into January 6. A federal grand jury is investigating Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his role in January 6. Trump had similarly invoked executive privilege, but a federal judge dismissed his claims. Smith had subpoenaed Pence for testimony and documents related to the probe in February. As vice president, Pence played a mostly ceremonial role overseeing the certification of the 2020 election results as Congress met on January 6.

☆ Pence ordered to testify in probe of Trump's efforts to overturn 2020 election
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Vice President Mike Pence speaks during an event to promote his new book at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank on October 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. A federal judge ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to comply with a grand jury subpoena issued as part of a special counsel investigation of ex-President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, NBC News reported Tuesday. Judge James Boasberg of U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., ruled that Pence does have some limited protections regarding his role on Jan. 6, 2021, NBC reported. But Pence is not immune from testifying about alleged "illegality" by Trump, Boasberg reportedly ruled. Trump's legal team had also tried to block those ex-aides from testifying on executive privilege grounds.

The chief judge has sole discretion over sealed federal grand jury proceedings. As chief judge, Boasberg is poised to rule on certain legal arguments raised in the grand jury probes, including efforts to restrict witnesses from testifying. Grand jury proceedings are kept from public view. Another special counsel, Robert Hur, was named by Garland in January to look into classified records found at Biden's home in Delaware and former office in Washington. During her tenure as chief judge, Howell regularly heard legal arguments in special counsel investigations.

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department will appeal the dismissal of a lawsuit against casino magnate Steve Wynn, who it accused of acting as a Chinese agent. Wynn defeated the lawsuit in October when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., said the casino tycoon could not be ordered to register with the Justice Department as a foreign agent of China. The Justice Department in May sued for a court order forcing Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Casinos, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Wynn's attorneys denied that he was ever an agent of the Chinese government. He also said the Justice Department could pursue criminal sanctions against Wynn for failing to disclose the alleged lobbying, if the statute of limitations had not expired.

☆ The notable legal clouds that continue to hang over Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Dan Berman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +17 min

CNN —All eyes are on former President Donald Trump, whose third White House bid has already become mired in controversy. The Justice Department investigation continues into whether documents from the Trump White House were illegally mishandled when they were brought to Mar-a-Lago in Florida after he left office. Any unauthorized retention or destruction of White House documents could violate a criminal law that prohibits the removal or destruction of official government records, legal experts told CNN. During the panel’s hearings this summer, fingers were pointed at GOP lawmakers and Trump allies who tried to help overturn the election and Trump White House officials who failed to stop the former president’s actions. Recently, DOJ moved to compel additional testimony from former White House counsel Pat Cipollone and deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin.

☆ U.S. judge hearing FTC case against Facebook won't quash subpoena for Sequoia
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: Facebook app logo is seen in this illustration taken, August 22, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/IllustrationWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. judge hearing a big antitrust case against Meta’s Facebook declined on Thursday to quash a subpoena that the government had sent to Sequoia Capital seeking its analyses of Instagram and WhatsApp before they were acquired by Meta. The Federal Trade Commission, which has filed a lawsuit asking the judge to force Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, had sought depositions of one current and one former Sequoia executive. The FTC filed a lawsuit in 2020 asking a court to undo then-Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014. It said that the company acted illegally to maintain its social network monopoly.

☆ Meta refuses to give up on campaign to disqualify FTC chair
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Alison Frankel | Thomson Reuters | Alison Frankel Has Covered High-Stakes Commercial Litigation As A Columnist For Reuters Since A Dartmouth College Graduate | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Her previous expressions of her policy views about alleged big tech monopolists, Boasberg said, did not require Khan’s recusal under the standard for federal prosecutors. (The petition and stay motion are not in the FTC docket but are exhibits in the preliminary injunction case.) We know this from an Oct. 6 letter from the FTC to Weil Gotshal in the administrative proceeding. Remember, Meta is not asking Davila to order Khan off either the preliminary injunction case or the administrative proceeding. We’ll know more about whether the stratagem accomplished anything when the preliminary injunction case goes to a hearing in December.

☆ Steve Wynn Can’t Be Forced to Register as Foreign Agent, Judge Rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Steve Wynn, a friend of former President Donald Trump, is widely viewed as the architect of the modern Las Vegas Strip. WASHINGTON—A federal judge dismissed a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to force casino mogul Steve Wynn to register as a lobbyist for his 2017 efforts to obtain a diplomatic favor sought by Chinese authorities, saying the government doesn’t have the power to retroactively compel such a disclosure. Describing his decision as a close call, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg wrote in a Wednesday order that longstanding court precedent bars the Justice Department from requiring foreign agents to retroactively register once they are no longer doing the work in question.

☆ A judge just tossed out the Justice Department's bid to force Trump donor and casino mogul Steve Wynn to register as a foreign agent
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( C. Ryan Barber | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In a 20-page opinion, Judge James Boasberg sided with Wynn's argument that the Justice Department lacked the power to force the disclosure of his alleged stint as a foreign agent of China. It was not immediately clear if the Justice Department would appeal. A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a prepared statement, Wynn's lawyers Reid Weingarten and Robert Luskin said they were "delighted" by the dismissal of a Justice Department lawsuit they described as "ill-conceived." The Justice Department said Wynn agreed in 2017 to lobby on behalf of China in exchange for favorable treatment of his casino business in Macau.

Oct 12 (Reuters) - Casino magnate Steve Wynn cannot be ordered to register with the U.S. Department of Justice as a foreign agent of China, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., said Wednesday. The Justice Department in May sued for a court order forcing Wynn, the former CEO of Wynn Casinos, to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Officials alleged that Wynn lobbied then-U.S. President Donald Trump on China’s behalf in 2017. He also said the Justice Department could pursue criminal sanctions against Wynn for failing to disclose the alleged lobbying, if the statute of limitations had not expired. Wynn's lawyers and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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