In a case that could have encouraged some of the hundreds of other defendants facing minor offenses to go to trial instead of seeking deals, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden accepted Matthew Martin’s argument that he did not know he was breaking the law when he entered. at the Capitol Complex.
Martin, a former U.S. government contractor from Santa Fe, claimed that police allowed him to enter the Capitol building during a Jan. 6 attack on the building by supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump who tried to block Congress. to certify Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential election victory.
Prosecutors had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Martin knew he was entering a restricted area.  McFadden, who was appointed by Trump as a judge, ruled that prosecutors had not responded to that burden.
Martin Dan Croon’s lawyer said in an interview that Martin was looking forward to continuing his life.
Following the Capitol Uprising, Martin lost his top-secret license and his job as a contractor supporting the US Department of Energy’s nuclear stock in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Martin had waived his right to a jury trial, instead asking McFadden to determine his guilt or innocence in a process known as a jury trial.  This was McFadden’s second such trial since last month for another New Mexico man who also faced a misdemeanor charge Jan. 6.
McFadden found that the accused, Couy Griffin, was guilty of entering a restricted area protected by the Secret Service.  But McFadden acquitted Griffin of disorderly conduct, saying prosecutors had failed to prove that Griffin had outraged the crowd.
Also last month, the US Department of Justice secured a landslide victory in the first criminal case on January 6 to conclude a jury trial.  Jurors from Texas found Guy Reffitt guilty of all five felony counts, including carrying a gun to the Capitol and obstructing a formal process.
In other news, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the right-wing Proud Boys, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges of conspiracy before the Capitol Uprising to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s 2020 election victory. Read the whole story
(Report by Jan Wolfe, Edited by Will Dunham and Scott Malone)