(MAGANews.org) – An Alabama man who participated in the Capitol incident on January 6 was found guilty of many offenses despite being cleared of the obstruction charge he had been facing.
After a week-long bench trial in Washington, DC, Joshua Black, 46, of Leeds, Alabama, was found guilty of several federal and misdemeanor crimes by U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson.
Joshua Black is shot in the face on January 6th, precipitating the riot. He's invited into the Capitol but then is charged for being in the Capitol. Link to whole video: https://t.co/nS1t399VG4 pic.twitter.com/kOy2zwGjAz
— Jeffrey Dean- Patriot Legacy (@OnewitnessUS) January 15, 2023
Black, however, is the first defendant to be cleared of obstruction charges in connection with the violence on January 6, according to reports.
Black was shot in the face by a police projectile before he and other rioters protested the certification of the 2020 presidential election inside the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
Images of Black from that day show that he was struck in the cheek, which is bleeding.
Joshua Black on the Senate Floor on January 6, 2021, wearing a red hat, camouflaged pants, and yellow gloves
Then, according to an FBI affidavit, he allegedly made videos of himself on the Senate floor, recalling the incident while having blood still on his cheek.
“I had reached my objective. On the Senate floor, I pleaded for Jesus’ blood,” Black was heard saying this on one of the recordings.
He continued, “You know, I glorified the name of Jesus on the Senate floor. “I had that in mind. I believe that was God’s intention.”
The judge cleared Black of the obstruction allegation at the end of the bench trial, stating she wasn’t sure if he knew what he was doing was wrong. She added that he had a “unique stew” cooking in his head.
The defendant had brought a knife into the Capitol Facility.
Therefore, the judge said there was enough evidence to support his conviction for “entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.”
According to reports, “Black told investigators he maintained the knife in case he needed it for self-defense, and he carried it instead of a gun to comply with D.C. gun rules.”
In addition, the defendant called the object a “hunting knife.”
According to a statement from the Justice Department, Black was also found guilty of:
When Black is sentenced later, he could spend 15 years and 6 months behind bars and pay fines.
Since the January 6 unrest two years ago, 950 people have been detained and over 284 have been charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement, according to the Justice Department.
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