F—ing kangaroo court: The proud boy who stormed the Capitol and berated Obama-appointed judge gets reduced sentence

A Washington state Proud Boy member and Jan. 6 rioter who had previously scolded and insulted him during proceedings got his prison term lowered by a federal judge.

The US Supreme Court’s ruling restricted the government’s use of a federal obstruction law, resulting in a one-year reduction in Marc Anthony Bru’s jail term.

Judge James E. Boasberg, the Chief U.S. District Chief, sentenced Bru to 72 months or six years in prison and 36 months of supervised release in January. He also ordered $2,000 in restitution and a $7,946 fine.

After a bench trial before Boasberg on October 3, 2023, Bru was convicted on five misdemeanor offenses, obstruction, and civil disorder.

The resentencing follows Bru’s previous punishment, in which he insulted Boasberg, an appointment of Barack Obama, and interrupted the courtroom. According to the Associated Press, Bru told Boasberg that extending his sentence by further time is not a very effective deterrent, but he did not recite the same insults during Friday’s hearing.

Associated coverage:

Prosecutors contend in the government’s supplemental sentencing memorandum that Bru’s first 72-month prison sentence is fitting for a guy who rioted at the Capitol and intended to launch an armed insurgency to overthrow the Portland, Oregon, government. They also said that he ran away from his case from January 6 while it was still pending trial.

Prosecutors claim that Bru tried to make fun of the trial process. They claimed that following his conviction, he disseminated false information by claiming to be a victim of political persecution and making threatening, hysterical remarks in public places.

The prosecutors say that Bru made a frightening statement two days prior to his sentencing hearing: if Chief Judge James E. Boasberg and the undersigned lead prosecutor for human trafficking did not comply with his demands, he would order the U.S. Marshals to arrest them.

Additionally, he threatened to ignite a nationwide prison riot if the Speaker of the House and the former President didn’t act quickly.

During his initial sentence hearing, the court was compelled by the statements to call in more U.S. Marshals for protection. Officials said that Bru constantly interrupted the Court and the government during the hearing, demonstrating disrespect.

He called Boasberg a fool and accused the Court of holding an unlawful and dishonest fing kangaroo court.

While on pretrial release, he was given two DUIs, which he blamed on the government. And he described the undersigned lead prosecutor as despicable and repugnant.

When given the opportunity to speak, Bru defiantly and proudly declared, You can give me a hundred years, and I would do it all over again.

In his sentencing memo, Bru s public defender, Ben W. Muse, requested that the Court follow the six-to-12-month imprisonment guidelines, claiming that Bru has no criminal history and was not violent that day.

He went to the Capitol grounds on January 6 to protest the results of the presidential election that he believed were secured through fraud, according to Muse.

Muse claimed he stood in the crowd on West Plaza and shouted at the cops. He briefly resisted law enforcement s efforts to force the growing crowd back from the Capitol with bike racks, leaning against the advancing rack for several seconds.

Then he followed other protesters through open doors into the Capitol, where he remained for fifteen minutes.

In sum, Bru engaged in civil disobedience in a boisterous but non-violent manner, according to Muse.

As he has stated, he would do so again because he truly believed President Trump and his supporters claims that the presidential election was rigged, and the survival of democracy was at stake. His actions should be judged for what they are, not compared to those of other violent bad actors.

Muse also stated that his actions following his arrest frustrated the criminal process at several points, primarily because he felt he and other Jan. 6 defendants were being treated differently as a class than other protesters who have engaged in disruptive acts of civil disobedience at the Capitol or in various cities across the country.

However, given this, the government contends that his behavior was not deserving of the Court s 72-month sentence.

He considers himself a sovereign citizen and allegedly told U.S. District Chief Judge James Boasberg and federal prosecutors at the end of his bench trial that they were outside of his jurisdiction and that the court had committed war crimes against him as well as trafficked him.

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