A man who pleaded guilty to posting threats on social media in connection with the riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in prison, the longest term to date resulting from the federal investigation of the insurrection.
Troy Smocks of Dallas traveled to the nation’s capital before the Jan. 6 siege but he was not accused of storming the building to support the false claims that President Donald Trump had won reelection.
Smocks has been in jail since his arrest Jan. 15. One of the few Black people among the 600-plus defendants charged so far, Smocks argued that his treatment has been unfair compared with others who did enter the Capitol.
“I’m no Dr. King, but we do share same the skin color and the same idea of justice. I just want to be treated equally,” he said at his sentencing.
But U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said she had not seen a “scintilla of evidence” that prosecutions had been racially motivated and she noted that Smocks expressed little remorse.
“People died fighting for civil rights,” she said. “For you to hold yourself up as somehow a soldier in that fight is very audacious.”
The sentence exceeded what prosecutors requested — the time he has already served in jail, during which he tested positive for COVID-19.
On Jan. 6, Smocks posted threats to “hunt these cowards down,” targeting “RINOS, Dems, and Tech Execs” — words that were viewed tens of thousands of times on the social network Parler. “RINO” stands for ”Republican In Name Only.”
Smocks has a two-decade-long criminal history, and prosecutors said he had bought a plane ticket to leave the country shortly before his arrest.
His social media accounts indicated he had been a colonel, but authorities found no record of military service. Prosecutors found evidence he had long passed himself off as veteran and had a history of fraud-related convictions from the 1980s to 2006, though he had stayed out of legal trouble over the past two decades.
Smocks’ sentence was the longest since an eight-month term handed down in July to a crane operator from Florida who breached the U.S. Senate chamber while carrying a Trump campaign flag.
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This is what this damn committee Liz Cheney is on can’t get straight. There were rioters intentionally mixed in with Trump supporters and when everything went bananas, the Trump supporters, naturally, got blamed for inciting a riot—an insurrection. I have no doubt but that it was a Democrat-inspired plot—but that part won’t be investigated.
It is politically expedient for the Dems to promote the lies that they continually parade in the Media. They are not looking for “truth” or “what happened”—they are hoping to subvert justice yet again by stirring up public sentiment through distortion of facts and made-up crimes that they can pass off as authentic.
AND YET< rioters who actually DESTROYED government buildings, as well as assulted and injured cops, ARE STILL NOT EVEN CHARGED WITH a crime, let alone spending one day in prison…
ltuser : You are welcome to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
Your comment is like one from a Democrat’s “useful idiot”.
Scruffy, i was point out FACTS.. All those rioters we saw last year, NONE HAVE to my knowledge, gotten charged, LET ALONE convicted of crimes.. YET Those from Jan the 6th, are being treated like they are literally terrorists… HOW IS THAT JUST!
How is that in anyway, making me a ‘useful idiot’??
ltuser Sorry, “useful idiot” was out of line.
The Department of Justice announced today that more than 300 individuals in 29 states and Washington, D.C., have been charged for crimes committed adjacent to or under the guise of peaceful demonstrations since the end of May.
74 People Facing Federal Charges for Crimes Committed During Portland Demonstrations
Charges include assaulting federal officers, arson, failing to obey lawful orders, and damaging federal property.
City Attorney: charges brought in 8 out of 261 protest related arrests in Seattle.
In most of a dozen jurisdictions examined, at least 90% of cases were dropped or dismissed. In some cities, like Dallas and Philadelphia, as many as 95% of citations were dropped or not prosecuted.
684 people have been charged in the Capitol insurrection so far.
300, out of how many HUNDREDS of thousands??? And that’s supposed to be equal, to over SIX HUNDRED out of 2-3 thousand on ONE DAY?
I agree. If you watch the videos you can usually see several persons dressed in all black ( as Antifa members do) breaking thru the doors and windows pushing the forced entry. Trump supporters did not DRESS that way. But fall into the trap to allow these Antifa group.
Could someone ask the FBI how many informants and under coverage agents they had in the crowd. It has been reported there was one u.c.a.
temporary arrested when found to have a gun on his person.
Would YOU BELIEVE any answer they gave?
I certainly wouldn’t.
Hmmm….does it seem unreasonable that the left would punish this guy more because he’s black and they see him as a traitor to their side?
Take a hint. Speech isn’t free under the Biden administration. Speech best be measured and sober. This political climate is not for the blowhard.
YES< it is highly reasonable, they are targeting him HARSHER because he's black..
One of the few Black people among the 600-plus defendants charged so far,
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said she had not seen a “scintilla (not a hint) of evidence” that prosecutions had been racially motivated and she noted that Smocks expressed little remorse.
“People died fighting for civil rights,” she said. “For you to hold yourself up as somehow a soldier in that fight is very audacious.”
It is written there: “…….to support the false claims (SIC!!! Very sick) that President Donald Trump had won reelection……”
The election results are being still checked, but the writer (writerette?) already knows the result.
Let me guess who he/she/it votes for.
And this is just another reason for America to not believe ANYTHING that comes from our politicians and/ or judicial system decision makers. pinocchio joe said ” no vaccine mandates” which he has now ordered, “America will follow the Constitution” which he does not, “protect every American” which he has not, ” build back better” which is a joke. If he had just kept the country like President Trump left it there would have been no reason to build back better but now that we are being destroyed by the democrats it will need to be built back but not by them.
You forget , JOE is NOT making any decisions on anything. IT is BHO talking to Joe’s ear plugs, just as BHO has said in one of his interviews.