Anna Paulina Luna asks for lesser sentence for convicted Tampa Bay Jan. 6 protester

U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna on Friday wrote a letter asking a pass judgement on to take “leniency” when making an allowance for the sentence of Jeremy Michael Brown, (*6*)man who appeared at the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol with the extremist Oath Keepers team.

In September, federal brokers searched Brown’s Hillsborough County assets as a part of an inquiry into the Jan. 6 occasions. Agents discovered two unlawful weapons, a couple of hand grenades and a categorised army record, amongst different issues. (Brown is a former U.S. Army Special Forces grasp sergeant.)

In a December trial, Brown confronted 10 federal fees. A jury convicted Brown of six of them and acquitted him of the opposite 4. Federal prosecutors are recommending he get 9 years in jail — the prime finish of the beneficial federal sentencing vary for the ones fees for any individual and not using a prior prison historical past like Brown.

Luna, a Republican first-term member of Congress from St. Petersburg, argued in her letter that the pass judgement on must give Brown much less time than that.

“Mr. Brown is a non-violent criminal who has embraced his failure and shown his willingness to rehabilitate and become a productive member of society,” Luna wrote to federal District Judge Susan Bucklew.

The letter seems on U.S. House of Representatives letterhead.

A spokesperson for Luna stated Brown’s fees aren’t without delay associated with his actions on Jan. 6.

“Rep. Luna would prefer not to get involved in the justice system, but in this case, the reports of the sentencing that Brown faces were unconscionable and she felt compelled to ask the judge to consider the totality of Brown’s service to our nation and consider some leniency in issuing his final sentence,” the spokesperson, Edie Heipel, stated in a textual content message.

Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents Tampa and portions of St. Petersburg, is Brown’s consultant in Congress.

Luna’s message is the most recent in a public marketing campaign through Brown and others towards the federal government’s prosecution. Brown unsuccessfully ran in 2022 for the Florida House from prison the usage of marketing campaign indicators that learn “Inmate #1875858 Brown for Florida State House 2022.″ He frequently gave phone interviews from the Pinellas County Jail, where he was being held. He once told the conservative political operative Roger Stone in an interview that the government planted the evidence they found on his property.

Federal prosecutors say Brown deserves nine years because he abused the trust placed in him by the U.S. Army.

“At trial, the defendant lied extensively under oath, falsely testifying that the stolen grenades were not his and that the stolen classified document was not, in fact, classified,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo filed Friday.

In reaction, Brown’s felony workforce cited Luna’s letter as proof of Brown’s persona. They argued he merits not up to the 87 to 108 months prompt through sentencing pointers. They disputed the concept Brown lied at his trial when he testified on his personal behalf. And they clarified his participation in occasions of Jan. 6.

“Mr. Brown lawfully attended a public rally and was working a volunteer position at the rally in which he provided security,” his workforce wrote in a protection memo.

Times workforce author Dan Sullivan contributed to this tale.

Subscribe to notificationsUnsubscribe from notifications