Judge hits out after convicted Proud Boy left free to return to old tricks online: report
A man convicted for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will face monitoring again following a decision from a federal judge concerned about his internet activity.
According to The Washington Post, web designer Daniel Goodwyn, a 'self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys' right-wing extremist group," was sentenced to 60 days in prison and a year of supervised release after pleaded guilty to riot-related changed in 2023.
The supervision was set to end in August.
But at a hearing on Thursday, federal Judge Reggie B. Walton said Goodwyn continues to traffic online “in the same type of rhetoric” that triggered the insurrection in the first place — and his probation officer was told to start monitoring his activity.
Walton had ordered monitoring of online activity when Goodwyn was sentenced but, in February, the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. ruled that Walton had 'erred in imposing the computer-monitoring condition' because the judge had failed to consider whether it was 'reasonably' necessary," said the report.
After this happened, one prosecutor told the court that, “Throughout the pendency of Goodwyn’s case, he has made untruthful statements regarding his conduct and the events of the day, he has used websites and social media to place targets on police officers who defended the Capitol, and he has used these platforms to publish and view extremist media.”
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Goodwyn's attorney slammed Walton's decision, noting that he is a self-employed “investigator and journalist” whose work will be more difficult with court-supervised monitoring.
More than 1,300 people have been charged in connection with January 6, with crimes ranging from misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct to more serious crimes like assaulting police and seditious conspiracy.
This week, the Supreme Court ruled that it was improper to charge January 6 defendants with obstruction of Congress, which could reopen hundreds of cases, although a majority are unlikely to be affected.