WASHINGTON (CN) — Following years of court proceedings, a Florida man on Thursday was convicted of two misdemeanors after he joined riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prosecutors were initially unable to locate that defendant, Samuel Camargo — that is, until they tracked him down at Biden's inauguration.
U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, on Thursday found Camargo guilty on two charges: simple assault and entering restricted grounds.
Determining that Camargo’s conduct did not warrant a felony charge for assaulting officers, Jackson instead opted for a misdemeanor assault charge.
Camargo, who will be sentenced in October, faces up to 14 months in prison. His lawyers initially said they were prepared to move forward with sentencing on Thursday, but they backpedaled after Camargo seemingly changed his mind, opting for an in-person sentencing in D.C. rather than a virtual hearing from Florida.
Camargo, 30, traveled to Washington to attend former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally. He left the speech early and began marching with other supporters toward the Capitol building.
According to Jackson, Camargo indicated in an interview with right-wing podcast “Justice in Jeopardy” that he was unaware that Congress would be certifying the 2020 election results.
Nonetheless, Jackson pointed to other evidence showing that Camargo was aware of the political situation at the time. She noted that he received notifications from Trump’s social media accounts and read the “Navarro Report” by former trump aide Peter Navarro, which claimed there was “mountains of evidence” behind debunked claims of election fraud.
According to the Justice Department's statement of facts, Camargo attempted to enter the building from the north but was repelled after officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department shut the door. In response, according to video footage from another rioter, Camargo called the officers “fucking pussies."
Because Camargo had ripped a metal segment off the door, officers were unable to lock it — allowing rioters to later enter through. Camargo took that door piece back home with him to Florida, where he posted photos describing it as a souvenir.
After his initial encounter with officers on Jan. 6, Camargo walked towards the Capitol's Upper West Terrace, where officers were attempting to create a police line to push the mob back. Video showed that Camargo then threw a water bottle and spit towards the officers — though as Jackson noted, there was no evidence of him making contact.
Because of that, Jackson determined, Camargo could only be convicted of simple misdemeanor assault rather than felony assault on an officer.
Beyond being gross, she said Camargo had potentially exposed the officers to danger when he spit towards them during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Regardless, she noted, that still didn't raise Camargo's actions to the level of a felony.
Camargo did not otherwise engage with the police line, instead leaving the crowd and returning to his home in Broward County, Florida.
Just days later, the FBI identified Camargo and attempted to arrest him at his Florida home. But Camargo was not there, and authorities later found and arrested him at Biden's inauguration instead.
Camargo’s return to Washington for Biden’s swearing-in, Jackson said, clearly showed he “was not a happy camper” following the failed insurrection.
Despite Camargo’s early arrest, his case has lingered in federal court longer than most Jan. 6 cases as Camargo has repeatedly requested extensions to consider a plea deal. He was offered one but ultimately did not accept it.
Camargo spend six months in pretrial detention in 2021, where Jackson noted he experienced especially restrictive conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. She indicated she would consider that time spent when deciding the appropriate sentence.
In the 43 months since the Capitol riot, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in connection with their actions on Jan. 6. Of those, approximately 562 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration.
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