U.S. targets cash raised by Jan. 6 rioters calling themselves ‘political prisoners’
Defendants face hefty fines on top of prison sentences
By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press
Published: May 28, 2023, 1:55pm
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FILE - Insurrections loyal to President Donald Trump rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. A growing number of Capitol rioters are facing hefty fines on top of prison sentences at their sentencing hearings. That's because prosecutors appear to be ramping up efforts to prevent them from profiting from their participation in the riot on Jan. 6, 2021. An Associated Press review of court records shows prosecutors in riot cases are increasingly asking judges to impose sentences that include fines to offset donations from supporters of the rioters. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
Less than two months after he pleaded guilty to storming the U.S. Capitol, Texas resident Daniel Goodwyn appeared on Tucker Carlson’s then-Fox News show and promoted a website where supporters could donate money to Goodwyn and other rioters whom the site called “political prisoners.”
The Justice Department now wants Goodwyn to give up more than $25,000 he raised — a clawback that is part of a growing effort by the government to prevent rioters from being able to personally profit from participating in the attack that shook the foundations of American democracy.
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