On Monday, CBS News' Scott MacFarlane, a key journalist covering the Capitol riot cases, reported that one of the convicted rioters is asking the court to push back the start of his jail sentence — in large part because he wants to spend that time celebrating the holidays with his family instead.
The rioter, Anthony Mazzio, is also complaining that the facility where he is scheduled to be incarcerated is too far a drive from his family in Alabama.
"Forrest City, Arkansas is at least 478 miles from Dothan, Alabama, and requires a car ride of seven hours and twenty-five minutes, or a bus ride of sixteen hours and fifteen minutes," wrote his counsel in a statement to the court. "In addition, while all incarceration requires separation from family and poses a hardship, such distant incarceration will require Mr. Mazzio to be separated from his family on both Thanksgiving and Christmas of this year."
"Mr. Mazzio therefore requests the Court to delay his surrender date until after January 1, 2023 and to instruct the Bureau of Prisons to designate a facility close to Dothan, Alabama for his incarceration," the filing added.
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Mazzio entered the Capitol wearing a tactical vest and a gas mask, while carrying a Trump flag. During the chaos, he spoke to a British news outlet covering the attack in real time, during which he said, "We are tired of waiting for people that have been prominent, honestly Hillary Clinton is going to go to jail. For over four years now, we know that she did criminal activity by destroying evidence that was subpoenaed. She has not been held accountable and we don’t expect anyone to be held accountable either. It’s time to take a stand." He was arrested and charged after a neighbor recognized him in that clip and turned him in.
Over 900 people have been charged in connection with the attack so far. Offenses range from unlawful picketing and trespassing to assaulting police officers. Some of the leadership of far-right paramilitary groups that helped organize the most violent parts of the attack, like the Oath Keepers, have also been charged with seditious conspiracy.
