A member of the “Oath Keeper” militia who participated in the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is asking a federal judge to release him from jail until his criminal trial, Law&Crime reports.
Graydon Young, 54, is charged with orchestrating a military-style assault on the Capitol building with the intention of overthrowing the federal government. He was denied bond last month after claiming he was “duped” into participating in the storming of the Capitol with the group and that he was “unaware of the organization’s nefarious purpose when he joined” and claiming his role was “limited.”
As Law&Crime points out, the Second Superseding Indictment filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. alleges that Young and nine other members of the Oath Keepers “planned with each other, and with others known and unknown, to forcibly enter the Capitol” in order to “stop, delay, and hinder the Congressional proceedings occurring that day.” The group is alleged to have “prepared themselves for battle before heading to the Capitol by equipping themselves with communication devices and donning reinforced vests, helmets, and goggles.”
The group was charged with conspiracy, obstructing official government proceedings, destruction of government property, and trespassing. Young was also charged with the “corrupt destruction of evidence” for deleting his Facebook profile after Jan. 6.
Lawyers for Young filed a motion on Monday asking that the initial bond ruling be reversed.
“The psychological burdens of being detained pending trial are very real for Mr. Young. Since he has no previous experience with the criminal justice system, being detained is taking an extremely high toll on his mental well-being,” his lawyers’ motion stated.
“Prior to being detained, Mr. Young was a mentally strong and stable person with no history of mental disorders,” the motion continued. “His current emotional and psychological state is owing entirely to the fact that he has been detained and is unable to rely upon his normal social support systems. Because he is such a strong family man, locking him up away from his wife and children with the prospect of an extremely long period of time before trial is even scheduled is causing potentially irreparable psychological and emotional damage to Mr. Young.”
Read the full motion below:
Graydon Young Bond Motion by Law&Crime
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