Thread by @MacFarlaneNews

STANDBY: Sentencing begins in moments in US Capitol breach case of Frank Scavo of Scranton

Unlawful picketing guilty plea

Feds say Scavo recorded video on Jan 6, "Stormed the f**ing Capitol of the f**ing United States at 58 years old. What the f** is wrong with America?"

Feds are seeking 14 days in jail for Scavo

Prosecutor opens up saying, "The attack on the riot that day was a singularly shameful event in our nation's history. What happened was repugnant to our public"

Prosecutor: "He knew a riot was occurring.... before he entered"

Per sentencing memo from prosecutors.. Scavo changed his Facebook profile picture to this.... on February 7, 2021 ====>

Prosecutors are playing four minutes of video of the mob inside the Capitol

The noise and volume is overwhelming. The mob was incredibly loud, agitated and taunting as they cornered police

Prosecutors argue Scavo was unfazed by the horror... and kept pressing forward. And kept recording video

Feds have been making a point at sentencings to specify the Jan 6 defendants knew there was trouble inside... but went inside anyhow

Feds are playing a video recorded by Scavo inside the Capitol... in which Scavo is surrounded by people angrily screaming "Treason, Treason, Treason"

In the recording, you can hear how disorienting it is .. when others use megaphones to scream and echo through the complex

Feds are playing selfie video from Scavo... in which he says "We stormed the F*** Capitol of the F**** United States"

Prosecutor: He believed he was part of a group that "Took back the Capitol"

Scavo's defense attorney begins

Scavo has been "attempting to rectify the crime... by cooperating with the FBI.. and giving them a full & truthful statement.. and provided them with a video .... He restored deleted images.. so the FBI would know he wasn't concealing"

Scavo is now reading a letter he's written to judge

He begins by calling himself a "lifelong Republican" .. and says he campaigned locally on behalf of George H.W. Bush decades ago... and ran for a local school board office and served on the board

Scavo says he "fully expected" Jan 6 to be no different than other political rallies

At the barricades on Jan 6, he says "There was no chatter on the police radio asking for help"

Scavo says "to avoid the crowd.. we went around to the East side" of the Capitol

Scavo: "The crowd pushed up to the doors... and I got caught up in it"

THERE IT IS: The magic phrase used in a growing number of Jan 6 sentencing hearings "CAUGHT UP IN...." (crowd, fervor, moment)

Scavo is arguing that he did not break a door, assault police.. "I never saw the two police officers to my right being attacked" "I did not know in advance that some in the crowd planned.. violent interference with the government"

Lots of "defense" in this plea for leniency

Scavo tells judge: "Candidly I wondered to myself what I was doing there"

Moments ago, Feds say Scavo was saying this *aloud* in Capitol, "We stormed the F*** Capitol of the F**** United States"

Scavo says he's already begun some community service... he says he's been cleaning up trash on Route 309 near Scranton and helping at a soup kitchen (106 total hours, he says) "To make my amends" .. "I am a humble person"

Judge tells defense attorney "You client did not walk through open doors"

Judge doesn't like how defense & Scavo have used that phrase in prior hearings, motions

Judge says Scavo *lied* at initial hearing

Defense: "This is a mob scene. This is a violent event that's taking place"

Defense: "He knew that was a crime. He saw what was going on, people being assaulted, a building being assaulted"

Defense acknowledges Scavo lied to media after Jan 6

Judge says he's giving Scavo credit for early guilty plea and for not assaulting/damaging

Then judge says: "This whole event ended up in preventing the government from being able to function.... the consequence to the nation has to be weighed"

Judge sentences Frank Scavo to 60 days in prison and issues $5000 fine. That's significantly higher than sought by prosecutors

The bar seems to be moving