A Chicago man will face charges related to the Capitol blitz after he posted a photo of a plaque outside of House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi’s office on social media. Kevin Lyons, 40, who lives in the Gladstone Park neighborhood has been charged with misdemeanor counts of knowingly accessing a restricted area, violently entering a restricted area, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Lyons was arrested at his Chicago home and appeared before a federal judge who ordered him released on a $10,000 bond. The conditions of his release state that he must not have any contact with anyone involved in the Capitol blitz or anyone planning any violent acts against the federal government.
Parading Your Crimes on Social Media
If you do a crime, do not announce it to friends and family. In this case, it does not appear that the Capitol rioters had any sense of the gravity of what they were doing, which, in fact, is part of the problem. The federal government is hoping to remind them that you do not penetrate the defenses of our nation’s capital to disrupt the processes of our democracy. But if you have no sense of reality, then everything you do is a game or a joke.
Therein lies the problem. Most of these folks were fed on a steady diet of Russian-spawned propaganda that used the infrastructure of social media sites like Facebook to tell damaging lies about our government. One of those lies, parroted by President Trump himself, was that the election was stolen. If the election is stolen and our democracy has already fallen, then there’s nothing to protect and nothing to respect.
Believing in a false reality is not a defense to treason, rioting on Capitol grounds, and penetrating one of the most heavily protected buildings in the world. This only explains why someone would essentially confess to a crime to their friends and family. They believed that they were doing the right thing.
Lyons Eventually Had the Sense to Take Down the Post
To be sure, there is no insanity defense that would work here. Lyons knew what he did was wrong and illegal and later took down the post. When federal investigators asked him about the riot, he told them that he had a dream that patriots were taking back their country. When confronted by an Instagram photo that he posted from the scene of the crime, he informed investigators that they were “very good” and that he “only had the post up for an hour.” In fact, Lyons candor was jocular throughout the investigation, even as he provided video footage of his other cohorts to federal investigators.
Talk to a Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney
If you are being charged with insurrection by the federal government, then you need a criminal defense attorney who can defend you from federal charges. Call David Freidberg today at (312) 560-7100 to schedule a free initial consultation, and we can discuss your options