'I Had Fun lol': Capitol Rioters' Social Media Posts Come Into Play During Sentencings

For many participants of the January 6 Capitol insurrection, their social media postings could come back to haunt them.

Social media has played a large role in sentencing participants in the riots, as many posts have expressed incriminating behavior in its aftermath. One example of social media's power in these sentencings has been against participant Russell Peterson. During his sentencing, U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson read aloud Peterson's Facebook posts in the days before and after the insurrection. In one critical post, he had said "Overall I had fun lol," which ultimately led to his sentence of 30 days in prison.

"The 'lol' particularly stuck in my craw because, as I hope you've come to understand, nothing about January 6th was funny," said Jackson, who said that it was difficult for her to grant him leniency. "No one locked in a room, cowering under a table for hours, was laughing."

Movements such as Stop the Steal have histories of using social media to spew hateful rhetoric or misleading information. Many of the rallies taking place on January 6 were also organized by online groups, whose members documented the riots in real-time. Through these social media postings, the FBI was able to identify some of the insurrection participants, with at least 28 of those charged having incriminating online presences.

Of course, social media posts are not the only aspect influencing the sentences of the around 700 charged in connection to the insurrection. Whether the defendant damaged property or destroyed evidence of their involvement can also be used to determine how to punish insurrection participants. Their length of time inside the U.S. Capitol and the sincerity of their remorse are key determining factors as well.

Prosecutors recommended probation for Indiana hair salon owner Dona Sue Bissey, but Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced her to two weeks in jail for her participation in the riot. The judge noted that Bisssey posted a screenshot of a Twitter post that read, "This is the First time the U.S. Capitol had been breached since it was attacked by the British in 1814."

"When Ms. Bissey got home, she was not struck with remorse or regret for what she had done," Chutkan said. "She is celebrating and bragging about her participation in what amounted to an attempted overthrow of the government."

FBI agents obtained a search warrant for Andrew Ryan Bennett's Facebook account after getting a tip that the Maryland man live-streamed video from inside the Capitol. Two days before the riot, Bennett posted a Facebook message that said, "You better be ready chaos is coming and I will be in DC on 1/6/2021 fighting for my freedom!."

Judge James Boasberg singled out that post as an "aggravating" factor weighing in favor of house arrest instead of a fully probationary sentence.

"The cornerstone of our democratic republic is the peaceful transfer of power after elections," the judge told Bennett. "What you and others did on January 6th was nothing less than an attempt to undermine that system of government."

Senior Judge Reggie Walton noted that Lori Ann Vinson publicly expressed pride in her actions at the Capitol during television news interviews and on Facebook.

"I understand that sometimes emotions get in the way and people do and say stupid things, because it was ridiculous what was said. But does that justify me giving a prison sentence or a jail sentence? That's a hard question for me to ask," Walton said.

Prosecutors asked for a one-month jail sentence for Vinson, but the judge sentenced the Kentucky nurse to five years of probation and ordered her to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 120 hours of community service.

In the case of Felipe Marquez, the judge found social media posts belied serious mental health issues that needed treatment rather than incarceration. Marquez recorded cellphone videos of himself with other rioters inside the office of Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon. Back at home in Florida, Marquez posted a YouTube video in which he rapped about his riot experience to the tune of Shaggy's "It Wasn't Me." with lyrics that included, "We even fist-bumped police," and "We were taking selfies."

In the video, Marquez wore a T-shirt that said, "Property of FBI."

Prosecutors had recommended a four-month jail sentence, but U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras sentenced him instead to three months of home confinement with mental-health treatment, followed by probation. "I do think you have some serious issues you need to address. That played a large role in my sentencing decision," he said.

Judge Jackson gave Andrew Wrigley a history lesson before she sentenced the Pennsylvania man to 18 months of probation. Wrigley posted a photo on social media of him holding a 1776 flag during the riot. The judge said the gesture didn't honor the nation's founders.

"The point of 1776 was to let the people decide who would rule them. But the point of the attack on the Capitol was to stop that from happening," Jackson said. "The point of the attack on the Capitol was to subvert democracy, to substitute the will of the people with the will of the mob."

Videos captured New Jersey gym owner Scott Fairlamb punching a police officer outside the Capitol. His Facebook and Instagram posts showed he was prepared to commit violence in Washington, D.C., and had no remorse for his actions, prosecutors said.

Senior Judge Royce Lamberth said other rioters in Fairlamb's position would be "well advised" to join him in pleading guilty.

"You couldn't have beat this if you went to trial on the evidence that I saw," Lamberth said before sentencing Fairlamb to 41 months in prison.

But it worked to the advantage of one. Virginia charter boat captain Jacob Hiles likely avoided a stricter sentence by posting videos and photos of him and his cousin at the Capitol. A day after the riot, Hiles received a private Facebook message from a Capitol police officer who said he agreed with Hiles' "political stance" and encouraged him to delete his incriminating posts, according to prosecutors.

The officer, Michael Angelo Riley, deleted his communications with Hiles, but investigators recovered the messages from Hiles' Facebook account, prosecutors said. Riley was indicted in October on obstruction charges.

On Monday, Jackson sentenced Hiles to two years of probation. Prosecutors said the case against Riley may have been impossible without Hiles' cooperation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.