Thread by @JordanOnRecord

Good morning. Today we start off at 10 a.m. with a sentencing hearing for Eliel Rosa, of Midland, TX. Rosa pleaded guilty to entering the Capitol w/ his friend,
Jenny Cudd. The DOJ is asking for him to serve 1 month of home confinement. @wusa9 @EricFlackTV #CapitolRiot

Getting started with the hearing for Eliel Rosa. He's represented by public defender Michelle Peterson. She is arguing for him to serve probation only, saying he is "saddened and embarrassed" about what happen on January 6. Docs: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.usco… @wusa9 @EricFlackTV

DOJ: "Every single person at the Capitol contributed to the chaos of that day." Says probation-only risks "undervaluing" the seriousness of what happened on January 6.

DOJ says Eliel Rosa went to his hotel after the "Stop the Steal" rally, but then decided to go back to the Capitol after he learned then-VP Mike Pence wasn't going to try to overturn the election.

DOJ says Rosa entered the Capitol ~2 minutes after the doors were breached and then stayed inside for 20 minutes. He would have seen "clear signs of forced entry." Broken glass. Tear gas. Etc.

DOJ: "On January 6, Mr. Rosa stormed the Capitol. But on January 9, he made the decision to walk into a local FBI office and take responsibility for his actions."

Judge McFadden asks AUSA Amanda Fretto if she has ever before recommended a sentence of home confinement for a non-violent misdemeanor defendant with no criminal history. Fretto says she thinks she has recommended similar sentences.

Judge McFadden: "What do you think home confinement accomplishes here?"

AUSA says home detention deters future illegal conduct.

McFadden: "In the next month? I guess I just don't see how home detention does much as a deterrence."

Peterson: "There may be people who don't really feel the remorse they are expressing, but Mr. Rosa isn't one of them."

Peterson says Rosa is in an unusual situation because he's an immigrant and under asylum in the U.S.

Judge McFadden: "You're not considering I should be more lenient because he's an immigrant?"

Peterson: "No, your honor." Says he should consider the immigration consequences.

Eliel Rosa is speaking now. Thanks taxpayers for allowing him to have legal counsel. Says he stands in court considering James Madison's "If men were angels" quote.

Judge McFadden: "Sir, you participated in a shameful event – a national embarrassment that made us all feel less safe."

"Your actions are even more surprising given your clear knowledge of our nation's founding ideals."

McFadden: "How anyone who teaches history classes and civics classes could march into the U.S. Capitol" and do what Rosa did is "appalling."

McFadden says Rosa's actions are even more shocking on January 6 because he's not even a U.S. citizen (he's here on asylum).

But, McFadden says, he also thinks January 6 was an "aberration" in Rosa's life.

McFadden also says he's never heard of someone turning themselves in for a crime before they were even a suspect.

SENTENCE: Judge Trevor McFadden sentences Eliel Rosa to 12 months of probation + $500 in restitution and a $10 special assessment. Rosa must also complete 100 hours of community service. #CapitolRiot @wusa9 @EricFlackTV