Illinois man who wore Revolutionary War costume and gas mask during January 6 riots sentenced to 2.5 months in prison

A southern man who wore Revolutionary War clothing during the riots at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, stole a shield from a retreating police officer and then joined the crowd outside the U.S. House of Representatives chamber while members sought shelter inside has been sentenced to two and a half months in prison.

Derek Nelson, 31, of Danville pleaded guilty in March to entering and remaining in a building or grounds not accessible. Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington, DC: that an “indelible” image of Nelson and a companion acting as “willing foot soldiers of chaos” illustrates the damage done to “the perceived stability of our Republic”.

U.S. District Court Records

Nelson’s defense attorneys insist that in 2021 his mind was “full of nonsense, discontent and conspiracy theories” but that he is now “fully focused on his love for God and his family, his respect for the rule of law and his regret for his actions.”

Nelson is one of nearly 50 known Illinois residents facing federal charges in connection with the attack on the Capitol, which interrupted the Electoral College vote count and sparked a major criminal investigation.

Prosecutors say Nelson was accompanied at the Capitol by Derek Dodder of Nevada. Federal authorities say the men are former Marines, though prosecutors called Nelson’s departure from the military “not honorable.”

On Jan. 6, 2021, Nelson wore a colonial blue peacoat, tricorn hat and white scarf. His Chicago-based defense attorneys — Todd Pugh, Chelsy Van Overmeiren and Jonathan Brayman — say he participated in live-action role-playing activities such as Renaissance fairs and Civil War events. stalking.

But when someone asked him on the day of the uprising why he and others in colonial dress were there, Nelson replied: “To start a revolution. Why are you here?”

Nelson and Dodder also brought respirators and goggles to the Capitol and put them on when police began using chemical spray.

Nelson joined the mob attempting to breach the Capitol. At one point, he crossed the path of a fleeing police officer holding a riot shield, grabbed the shield, and lowered his shoulder to grab it. The officer dropped the shield and Nelson helped get his hands on it. of another rioter.

Nelson and Dodder later entered the Capitol at 2:16 p.m., records show. They made their way to the Rotunda, where they laughed and celebrated — and where Nelson gave the middle finger.

They made their way to the House chamber, stopping along the way to look out the window at the police officers below. Nelson told Dodder, “Hurt them. We’re hurting them, boys.”

The men then spent at least ten minutes outside the plenary hall. When the police used tear gas, they put on their breathing masks and goggles.

They remained in the building until 3:04 p.m.

Nelson’s defenders say he married in 2022 and has now been “reborn” into a new family. They argued that “millions of Americans on January 6, 2021, thought the 2020 presidential election was rigged by voter fraud,” and Nelson was among those “lured in by an innocent but misguided patriotism.”