#

The Keene man arrested after he took selfies inside the U.S. Capitol Building during the January 6 riots is headed to jail, in part because his current run for Congress shows a lack of remorse, according to prosecutors.

Jason Riddle, 34, pleaded guilty last year to one count of theft of government property, and one count of illegal parading in a government building. The charges stem from his actions during the riot on Capitol Hill following a Trump rally.

Riddle is currently seeking the GOP nomination in the 2nd Congressional District.

His defense attorney wanted Riddle to be sentenced to 30 months of probation rather than prison time. Prosecutors told United States District Court Judge Dabney Fredrich the outspoken Riddle deserves jail time as he appears to be attempting to use the notoriety he gained from his illegal actions to further his political career.

Attorney George Eliopolous wrote in the government’s sentencing memo that Riddle has displayed a total lack of remorse.

“He has given two news interviews, one was months after his arrest in this case, in which he specifically stated that he did not regret his involvement in the January 6 riot and that he expected to benefit from it and the resulting criminal case when he runs for public office,” Eliopolous wrote.

During one of those television interviews, Riddle said he was happy to get the attention that the criminal case brought. 

“In the long run, if you’re running for office, any attention is good attention,” he told an NBC interviewer.

In the same interview, Riddle appeared unaware that Rep. Annie Kuster is a member of Congress. He indicated he thought she was a state representative who worked at the State House in Concord. 

Riddle has run unsuccessfully for office in Cheshire County since moving to New Hampshire with his husband. He was separated from the United States Navy in 2011 due to alcohol abuse, according to court documents.

Eliopolous also argued that Riddle deserves jail time for destroying evidence after learning FBI agents had begun an investigation. He allegedly deleted photos and videos from his phone — some of the same photos and videos he had already shared with the media. 

Riddle supplied reporters with video and photos he took inside the building, including numerous images of himself. Many of the photos of Riddle are included in FBI Special Agent Kevin Helson’s affidavit.

Helson writes that FBI agents interviewed Riddle in Keene on Jan. 22 when executing a search warrant to obtain digital photos and video. During that interview, Riddle admitted to going in as part of a “break in” led by a “big dude.”

“Riddle also admitted that he stole a small Fox News football from the same office, but tossed it aside as he exited the Capitol building,” Helson wrote.

Riddle told the agents that before they arrived he had tried to delete photos from his phone. 

“Riddle also admitted that at some point after the Capitol incident, he had deleted some messages, photos, and videos of his D.C. trip from his phone, during what he termed a ‘delete frenzy,’” Helson wrote.

Fredrich sided with prosecutors and sentenced Riddle to 90 days in jail, three years of supervised probation, and more than $750 in fines and restitution. Staying true to form, Riddle made light of the sentence soon after it was handed down on Monday.

“3 months in jail for 14 minutes of the most beautiful patriotic event in history. Works for me,” Riddle posted on Facebook.

Riddle is being allowed to surrender to authorities at a later date to begin serving his sentence.

Riddle took a photo of himself drinking from a bottle of wine he stole inside the building, a photo that he shared with multiple media outlets. He also stole a copy of the Senate Procedure manual and sold the book on eBay, according to court documents.

Booze and heavy doses of right-wing misinformation pushed Navy veteran Ryder Winegar to call members of Congress last year, threatening to rape and murder them if they did not support President Donald Trump.

He’s now going to prison.

Winegar’s attorney, Charles Keefe, told the court this week his client regrets his actions and now rejects the ideology that led him to prison.

“After months of becoming caught up in ultra-conservative news-outlet information, and allowing himself to be indoctrinated with a dogma spewed by the former president and his followers, Ryder’s depression and anxiety found an outlet,” Keefe wrote. “Fueled by his intoxication, Ryder proceeded to leave a series of disgusting, racist, and threatening voicemails for six members of Congress regarding the results of the 2020 presidential election.”

Keefe asked the court to give the 35-year-old a sentence of time served. He’s been jailed since his arrest last year. John Farley, the acting United States Attorney for New Hampshire, wanted the 33-months in prison Winegar got, saying his threats were part of former President Donald Trump’s overall movement to upend the 2020 election.

“Add it all up, this is serious conduct that was intended to disrupt the functioning of government at the highest levels and warrants the imposition of a sentence that reflects the gravity of the offenses,” Farley wrote.

On the night of Dec. 15, Winegar downed a six-pack of beer, two bottles of sake, and a few tumblers of tequila before he called six members of Congress and threatened to kill them if they did not support Trump’s efforts to stay in office after his loss to President Joe Biden. 

The members of Congress are not identified in the court records. Winegar made calls to offices in D.C. after midnight, and left voicemail messages for the Congress members. He also left his name and phone number on many of the messages.

One of the messages Winegar, edited to remove extreme profanities, is a typical example:

“Here’s the advice, Donald Trump is your president. If you don’t get behind him, we’re going to hang you until you die … You can come, you can keep being a shill for the Chinese communist party. And you know, like the, uh, the Jewish banking cartel, or you can stand up and do the right thing and back America’s president Donald Trump. Support freedom.”

Days before he called and left the threats, Winegar also emailed threats to a New Hampshire state representative, according to court records.

When Capitol police investigators went to Winegar’s home in Amherst to talk about the phone calls, Winegar reportedly told them to get off his property. The next day his wife drove him to Boston’s Logan Airport where he boarded a flight to Brazil, according to court records. He stayed out of the country until he was convinced to come home, at which point he was arrested at the airport.

Investigators searched his home and found an AR-15 rifle loaded with light armor-piercing ammunition, a loaded shotgun, a loaded 9mm pistol, an unloaded rifle with a scope, several hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a body armor vest, with clips and Level IV body armor plates.

Winegar pleaded guilty to all charges in August. Keefe wrote that Winegar’s 10 months in jail is the longest stretch of time he’s been sober since he was 12. Alcohol and marijuana use played a key role in his crimes, as does childhood trauma, Keefe wrote.

“As well, his actions derived from an alcohol-fueled form of political hysteria that he now renounces. It is very likely that Ryder’s actions in this case, and the mindset that allowed him to commit these offenses, is connected to the instability and unusual influences of his childhood,” Keefe wrote.

Winegar grew up in the Church of Scientology, which was founded by pulp writer L. Ron Hubbard. It teaches belief in alien lifeforms that inhabit the human body and are the cause of all emotional problems, as well as belief in past lives, and a sci-fi infused history of the earth. Scientology also prohibits followers from seeking mental health treatments.

“The Church of Scientology has been described by government inquiries, international parliamentary bodies, scholars, law lords, and numerous superior court judgements as both a dangerous cult and a manipulative profit-making business,” Keefe wrote.

 Winegar found structure in the Navy, and excelled at learning languages, according to Keefe. He was honorably discharged but had trouble adapting back to civilian life. He stopped taking medications like Zoloft, and started heavy use of alcohol and marijuana leading up to the 2020 presidential election, according to Keefe. As part of the sentence, Winegar will pay a $15,000 fine.

“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that threats of violence have no place in our political discourse,” Farley said in a statement. “While all citizens are free to express their political opinions, it is unlawful to threaten to commit acts of violence against members of Congress or members of the state legislature.  This defendant’s graphic threats were a troubling attempt to intimidate lawmakers and a direct assault on the functioning of our constitutional system.  This sentence should send a message to the community that those who threaten to commit acts of violence against duly-elected legislators will be held accountable for their unlawful conduct.”