A Missouri man who dressed in a Revolutionary War costume as he breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been found guilty on four misdemeanor charges, The Kansas City Star reported.
Isaac Yoder refused the government’s offer of a plea deal and instead asked for a bench trial.
“Yoder did more than simply go inside, however,” U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth wrote in his verdict. “As described above, Yoder made a speech to other rioters atop a pile of broken furniture, walked around the hallways and Crypt in colonial gear with a flag and sword, and allowed other rioters to take photos with him, all adding to the chaos and further impeding efforts of the police officers to clear the building.”
Yoder claimed during his trial that Jan. 6 was his first time in Washington D.C. and he didn’t know that the Capitol had been closed for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also claimed that police didn’t prevent him from entering the building. But Judge Lamberth wasn’t buying it and said that Yoder was breaking the law “knowingly.”
“Once inside the Capitol, he drew attention to himself by shouting to other rioters about how Trump supporters had ‘cave[d]’ on the certification, an overtly political message,” Lamberth wrote. “Yoder also knew that he was a highly visible member of the mob.”
The charges against Yoder carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. He’s due to be sentenced on Aug. 25.
