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- A judge asked why those accused of the Capitol riots pay less in restitution fees than American taxpayers.
- District Chief Justice Beryl A. Howell on Monday called the DOJ’s reimbursement proposal “a bit surprising.”
- Howell has previously expressed concern that lenient deals for defendants may encourage repeat offenders.
A federal judge asked prosecutors for answers on the low restitution fees demanded from rioters on Capitol Hill during a hearing on Monday.
U.S. Chief District Judge Beryl A. Howell of Washington, DC, asked why the Justice Department was only seeking a $ 1.5 million refund to those accused of the Capitol riots as the U.S. taxpayers are paying a bill of more than half a billion to pay for reparations stemming from the pro-Trump attack on January 6.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is asking $ 2,000 in each riot-related felony case and $ 500 in each misdemeanor case, which even if each current defendant pleaded guilty and paid, would still amount to less than $ 1.5 million. dollars, according to the Washington Post.
“I am used to the government being quite aggressive in terms of fraud when there has been damage resulting from foul play for the amount of restitution,” Howell said in court on Monday according to the outlet. .
“Where Congress acts, appropriating all this money owed directly to the events of January 6, I have found the damage amount to be less than $ 1.5 million – while all of us American taxpayers are on the point of footing the bill of almost half a billion. dollars – a little surprising, “she said.
In June, prosecutors estimated the total amount of damage to the Capitol grounds during the uprising at $ 1,495,326.55, although few additional details were provided. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Henry O’Connor told Howell on Monday that the government would provide an explanation for how it determined the cost of the damage before October, The Post reported.
But lawmakers have already allocated millions of dollars more than the estimated $ 1.5 million to cover the cost of damage caused by the insurgency. On July 29, Congress passed a $ 2.1 billion security bill that included reimbursements for the National Guard, Capitol Police, and Capitol Security improvements, totaling $ 521 million, respectively. , $ 70 million and $ 300 million.
Monday’s plea hearing involved Glenn Wes Lee Croy, a 46-year-old Colorado man who admitted to entering the Capitol building on January 6. During the hearing, Howell wondered aloud why reimbursements for the National Guard are not included in the charges for the return of defendants. , according to HuffPost reporter Ryan J. Reilly.
– Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) August 9, 2021
The judge ordered the U.S. Attorney’s Office to include an explanation of why costs covering National Guard reimbursement are not included in Croy’s restitution fee in an upcoming sentencing memo.
Monday was not the first time Howell had worried that those accused of the Capitol riots could receive light sentences. During a hearing in July, Howell again lobbied the Justice Department, questioning the department’s decision to offer rioters on Capitol Hill non-violent tort pleas.
“Does the government fear … that the accused will join a crowd, break into the Capitol building” in the future and “terrorize members of Congress, the vice president, who had to be evacuated,” asked Howell to prosecutors, according to CNN.
“It could be a circumstance that happens every four years,” she said.
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