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Defendant Fought Police Officers in Multiple Confrontations
September 28, 2022 - WASHINGTON – A Texas man, the self-declared President of a militia group, was sentenced today to 52 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Lucas Denney, 45, of Mansfield, Texas, was sentenced in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, for weeks leading to Jan. 6, 2021, Denney, a former military police officer and the self-declared President of the Patriot Boys of North Texas, a 3%ers-identifying militia group, gathered protective gear and weapons and recruited others to join his group and travel with him to Washington. In one message on social media, posted Jan. 1, 2021, he wrote, I’m so pumped brother. I can’t wait to be in the middle of it on the front line on the 6th.” Later, on Jan. 4, 2021, Denney expressed his expectation for “civil war,” claiming “Ww3 isn’t too far away though.”
On Jan. 6, Denney was outfitted in tactical gear. Soon after illegally entering the grounds, at approximately 1:30 p.m., Denney repeatedly confronted police officers protecting the Capitol. At the west side of the Capitol, he fought with officers at metal barricades, punching one of them in the face shield, sprayed what appeared to be a chemical irritant at officers on two occasions, grabbed and shoved an officer, and joined another rioter in launching what appeared to be a large tube towards a line of officers. He attempted to disarm an officer by grabbing the officer’s crowd-control spray, then swung a pole at the officer. By approximately 3:12 p.m., Denney had moved to the Lower West Terrace, where a mob of rioters was engaged in a confrontation with police officers. He entered the tunnel leading into the Capitol Building, pushing a riot shield into and on top of a line of officers attempting to secure the area. Denney also participated in “heave-ho” efforts to advance into the building. At one point, on the steps leading up to the Capitol Building, he swung his arm and fist at an officer who other rioters had pulled out of the tunnel, pulling the officer further down the stairs.
Denney was arrested on Dec. 13, 2021, in the Brackettville, Texas, area. He pleaded guilty on March 17, 2022, to an indictment charging him with assaulting resisting, or impeding officers using a dangerous weapon. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay restitution in an amount to be determined later by the Court.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
The case was investigated by the Fort Worth Resident Agency of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office, along with the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Denney as #258 in its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Del Rio Resident Agency of the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 20 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 870 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 265 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
