{"id":30994,"date":"2023-03-09T02:31:18","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T07:31:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/2023\/03\/09\/self-proclaimed-native-republican-jorge-riley-pleads-guilty-for-u-s-capitol-attack\/"},"modified":"2023-09-14T15:03:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T19:03:56","slug":"self-proclaimed-native-republican-jorge-riley-pleads-guilty-for-u-s-capitol-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2023\/03\/09\/self-proclaimed-native-republican-jorge-riley-pleads-guilty-for-u-s-capitol-attack\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-proclaimed Native Republican Jorge Riley pleads guilty for U.S. Capitol attack"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Jorge<\/a>
Jorge Aaron Riley, center, exits the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C, following his guilty plea on March 7, 2023. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Self-proclaimed Native Republican Jorge Riley pleads guilty for U.S. Capitol attack<\/div>\r\n
Thursday, March 9, 2023<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON, D.C. —\r\nIt took more than two years but a self-proclaimed Native Republican wore his \u201cbest Trump tie\u201d to court here and finally admitted he was wrong for participating in a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nStanding only a half-mile from the site of the deadly attack, Jorge Aaron Riley pleaded guilty<\/a> to one felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding on Tuesday afternoon. He admitted that he tried to stop the U.S. Congress from confirming the results of an election that Republican former president Donald Trump lost.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI plead guilty, your honor,\u201d Riley told Judge Amit P. Mehta during a half-hour hearing in federal court.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe hearing marked Riley\u2019s first appearance in the nation\u2019s capital since the attack on January 6, 2021, an event he gleefully documented on social media. More than 150 photos, videos and posts from the fateful day show him in a sort of Native caricature, with makeup on his face that he described as \u201cwar paint\u201d and feathers in his hair, breaking into the U.S. Capitol and boasting of his role in preventing lawmakers from carrying out their official duties<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI\u2019m going for the war,\u201d Riley said on a social media account that was shut down following the violent siege on the legislative branch of the U.S. government.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cHey We\u2019re storming the Capitol\u2026. what are you doing?\u201d he later said.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\"Jorge<\/a>\r\n

“I’m in the front where do you think I am,” Jorge Aaron Riley wrote on social media from inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, wearing self-described “war paint” on his face and feathers in his hair. <\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nTwo years later, Riley was once again back in Washington, D.C., with non-descript feathers in his hair. But in his suit and that \u201cbest Trump tie\u201d at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse<\/a>, he faced stern questions from Mehta, who wanted to make sure that the self-described \u201cFrench-speaking Native American Messianic Jewish right-wing conservative Republican\u201d was taking his criminal case seriously.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cIt doesn\u2019t seem to contain an admission of state of mind for Mr. Riley \u2014 specifically, that he acted corruptly,\u201d Mehta said of the seven-page statement of offense<\/a> that was negotiated ahead of the hearing.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cDon\u2019t take this the wrong way, Mr. Riley,\u201d Mehta continued, \u201cbut I had one \u2014 and I know other judges have had defendants in similar cases \u2014 after they\u2019ve entered guilty pleas, essentially walk out and say \u2018I didn\u2019t commit the crime.\u2019\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cSo, you know, I don\u2019t want to be in that position,\u201d the judge said.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nAfter Mehta made his concerns clear, the statement was modified on the spot to ensure that it contains an admission that Riley indeed acted \u201ccorruptly\u201d when he took part in the violent attack. The federal prosecutor handling the case was quick to acknowledge the oversight.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cFrankly, I\u2019m a little embarrassed,\u201d Troy A. Edwards, Jr., an assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said of the omission of a critical word, one that ensures Riley shouldn\u2019t be able to claim he didn\u2019t commit a crime.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n

United States of America v. Jorge Aaron Riley<\/div>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n04519793978<\/a>\r\n
Statement of Offense: PDF<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div>\r\n
\r\n04519793939<\/a>\r\n
Plea Agreement: PDF<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nWith assurances that he committed the crime, Riley awaits sentencing on September 6. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, plus a maximum fine of $250,000, for his crime though his plea agreement<\/a> envisions a lesser punishment of 15 months to 21 months.\r\n

<\/P>\r\nHowever, due to the nature of the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, which led to the loss of lives, injuries to numerous first responders and millions of dollars of damage to government property, it is possible that a longer sentence could be imposed. Riley\u2019s plea agreement also notes that he pleaded guilty to child endangerment back home in California \u2014 though the case was eventually dismissed after he met conditions imposed by a court in Sacramento County in 2017.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cAs part of this plea agreement, the government has reserved the right to seek an additional enhancement,\u201d Judge Mehta said on Tuesday, \u201cbased upon their belief that you caused or threatened to cause physical injury to a person, property damage in order to obstruct the administration of justice.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cDo you understand that?\u201d the judge asked. \r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cYes, I do, your honor,\u201d Riley replied. \r\n

<\/P>

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