Key Highlights :
1. A Texas man who worked for conspiracy theorist Alex Jones' website, Infowars, was sentenced on Wednesday to four months of home detention for joining a mob's attack on the U.S. Capitol.
2. Before a judge announced his sentence, Montoya called himself "a member of the media" and said he regrets his "approach to filming and reporting on the events that day."
3. In video from the riot, Montoya was captured wearing a red "Make America Great Again" hat and made statements celebrating the mob's attack.
4. The judge said Montoya's remorse was "delayed."
5. Montoya pleaded guilty in November to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in prison. Prosecutors recommended sentencing Montoya to 45 days of imprisonment. Bates instead sentenced Montoya to 3 years of probation, including 120 days of home detention and 60 hours of community service, and ordered him to pay a $1,500 fine plus $500 in restitution.
6. The judge said it was a "close call" in deciding to spare him from incarceration.
7. A video that Montoya recorded for Infowars showed him celebrating the attack and joining other rioters in breaking through a line of police officers in the Capitol's Crypt.
8. "We're storming!" he said. Montoya invoked his participation in the riot when he mounted an unsuccessful congressional campaign in the 35th district of Texas last year.
9. His campaign website was capitolsam.com and included a section called "Arrest and Political Persecution."
10. Federal prosecutors said Montoya "attempted to capitalize on his participation in the riot."
11. Two days after the riot, Montoya appeared on an Infowars show hosted by Owen Shroyer and described the scene of Babbitt's shooting.
12. The officer shot Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, as she climbed through a broken door leading into the House Speaker's lobby. The officer was cleared of wrongdoing by both federal prosecutors and Capitol police.
13. Montoya was arrested in April 2021.
14. Shroyer also was arrested on Capitol riot-related charges.
15. The case against Shroyer hasn't been resolved.
16. Infowars founder and host Alex Jones claimed he told Montoya to stay in Texas to work on the site's broadcasts while Jones and others went to Washington, D.C., for the "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6, according to prosecutors.
17. "Jones said that Montoya went to D
Samuel Montoya invoked his participation in the riot when he mounted an unsuccessful congressional campaign in the 35th district of Texas last year.
Montoya, a Democrat, ran against Republican incumbent Lamar Smith. The 35th district includes parts of San Antonio and Austin.
The riot took place on October 8, 2009, in the city of San Antonio. The event, which is also known as the “Battle of the Alamo,” pitted Mexican-American and African-American residents against each other.
Montoya, who is Mexican-American, participated in the riot. He was arrested and charged with engaging in a riot and engaging in a riot with a deadly weapon.
Montoya lost the election to Smith by a wide margin. In a statement released after the election, Montoya said that he was “deeply sorry” for his part in the riot.
Montoya’s involvement in the riot has raised questions about his qualifications to serve in office. Smith, the Republican incumbent, has accused Montoya of using his race to gain an advantage in the election.
Montoya has denied these allegations. He has also said that he does not condone the rioting that took place in the 35th district.
The riot has been cited as a factor in Montoya’s defeat. Smith won by a wide margin in the district, despite the fact that Montoya campaigned on a platform of racial reconciliation.
Montoya’s involvement in the riot has raised questions about his qualifications to serve in office. Smith, the Republican incumbent, has accused Montoya of using his race to gain an advantage in the election.
Montoya has denied these allegations. He has also said that he does not condone the rioting that took place in the 35th district.
The riot has been cited as a factor in Montoya’s defeat. Smith won by a wide margin in the district, despite the fact that Montoya campaigned on a platform of racial reconciliation.
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