A Montana man involved in the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6 is facing federal charges.
Isaac Steve Sturgeon has been hit with a total of eight counts, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers—and if convicted, he could be imprisoned for up to 20 years. He’s been released on a $250,000 bond and is under location monitoring; the only time he can leave the state is if he has to go to court in Washington D.C.
Court documents obtained by Complex show D.C. Metropolitan Police Department took images of Sturgeon on their body cameras on Jan. 6, and that Sturgeon and a group of rioters “picked up a metal police barricade and shoved the barricade into MPD officers.” In an effort to identify him, the FBI shared a photo of him on its website, outfitted in a green jacket, green scarf, grey beanie, and dark-colored backpack.
The 32-year-old landscaper was ultimately found through his social media accounts, after he posted images of the siege on Instagram. Two people also gave his information to the FBI, adding that he “traveled frequently and had access to numerous weapons.”
According to court filings, Sturgeon went to Kenya on Jan. 24, and purchased his return ticket while there, for April 5. However, he was later deported back to America on March 5 and arrested in John F. Kennedy International Airport a day later.
He appeared in court on Monday, where his lawyer explained that Sturgeon’s travel plans weren’t an escape, but that he had purchased the ticket before he was wanted for his participation in the riot. The attorney also said that he has no criminal records, aside from one misdemeanor for reckless driving.
Court docs said that Sturgeon bought his plane ticket to Kenya in cash, a week after the FBI issued photos of him. In the weeks following the Capitol siege, he was asking his friends if he was wanted by the FBI, and first went to Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands before traveling to Kenya.
