Appearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a 'crucial mistake.'
Some defendants have drawn ire from judges or the Justice Department for their inconsistent comments. But there’s not much the legal system can do for an adjudicated defendant. And because some conservatives hold up Jan. 6 defendants as martyrs, there’s a political and possibly financial incentive for them to change their tune.
Evans said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that he still stands behind what he said in court. Lamberth apparently hasn’t forgotten about it. The judge wrote in court papers that he hoped another defendant’s “change of heart” was sincere because his hopes were “dashed” in her case. In another case, he wrote that he “often finds it difficult to ascertain the sincerity” of Jan. 6 defendants’ remorse.“Many defendants appear sincere at sentencing, boasting of their purportedly deep shame, regret, and desire to change and be law-abiding citizens,” Lamberth wrote.
“I’m sorry that I was present in any way at an event that led people to feel afraid, that caused shame and embarrassment on our country, and that served absolutely no purpose other than to further tear away at the already heartbreaking divide in this country,” he wrote in a letter to U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, who sentenced him to 36 months of probation.
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Sorry, not sorry: Some 1/6 rioters change tune after apologyAppearing before a federal judge after pleading guilty to a felony charge in the deadly Capitol riot, former West Virginia lawmaker Derrick Evans expressed remorse for letting down his family and his community, saying he made a “crucial mistake.' Less than a year later, Evans is portraying himself as a victim of a politically motivated prosecution as he runs to serve in the same building he stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. Evans is now calling the Justice Department's Jan. 6 prosecutions a “miscarriage of justice' and describes himself on twitter as a “J6 Patriot.'
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