[Al Jazeera] The US government will submit a motion to dismiss indictments for 129 of the 188 remaining Inauguration Day defendants, leaving 59 facing felony charges that could land them behind bars for decades."The government will be filing motions to dismiss without prejudice the indictment against the other remaining 129 defendants," William Miller, public information officer for the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, said in a press statement provided to Al Jazeera by email.
Announced on Thursday afternoon, the statement said the US Attorney's Office for DC made the decision in order to "focus its efforts on this smaller, core group that we believe is most responsible for the destruction and violence that took place on Inauguration Day".
During the inauguration of US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
on January 20, 2017, police surrounded, attacked and locked away
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
more than 230 people during an anti-capitalist bloc march.
Those arrested included protesters, journalists, medics, legal observers and bystanders. A felony riot charge was subsequently dealt to 234 people. The charge carried up to 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine.
The city alleges that the protesters are responsible for $100,000 in property damage, while police have been accused of using unnecessary force against the group, including while they were surrounded and posed no threat.
Twenty defendants reached plea deals in exchange for lesser sentences, while another 20 had their charges dropped altogether.