Jan. 6 Defendant on House Arrest Vanishes Before Sentencing

Authorities are currently engaged in a search for a member of the Proud Boys extremist group who has mysteriously gone missing just days before his scheduled sentencing in a significant U.S. Capitol riot case. The prosecutors involved in the case are seeking a substantial prison sentence of more than a decade, as a warrant that was made public on Friday has revealed.

The individual in question, Christopher Worrell, aged 52, hailing from Naples, Florida, was due to face sentencing on Friday after being found guilty of deploying pepper spray gel on police officers during the tumultuous mob attack on the Capitol. The violent episode occurred on January 6, 2021, as the Congress was in the process of certifying Joe Biden’s presidential victory. The prosecutors had strongly recommended that the judge hand Worrell a sentence of 14 years.

However, the sentencing proceeding was abruptly canceled, and a sealed bench warrant was issued for Worrell’s arrest, a development that came to light through the examination of court records. The U.S. attorney’s office for Washington, D.C. has now called upon the public to come forward with any information pertaining to Worrell’s whereabouts.

Ever since his release from custody in Washington in November 2021, Worrell had been under house arrest in Florida. His release had been granted less than a month subsequent to a judge substantiating his claims concerning civil rights violations that he faced while in jail. Specifically, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth found that the medical care provided to Worrell for his broken hand had been egregiously delayed, a finding that resulted in the judge holding the officials at D.C. jail in contempt of court.

William Shipley, the attorney representing Worrell, has declined to provide any comments or additional information regarding the situation. Phone numbers associated with both Worrell and the person listed as his custodian during the duration of his house arrest were discovered to be non-functional.

Federal authorities have identified more than three dozen individuals charged in connection with the Capitol siege as leaders, members, or associates of the Proud Boys. The Proud Boys, described by its members as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists,” has found itself entangled in legal troubles. In May, former leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the extremist group were convicted of seditious conspiracy.

Subsequently, a staggering total of approximately 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the riot on January 6th. Among them, over 600 defendants have either pleaded guilty or been convicted following trials presided over by either a jury or a judge. As part of the legal process, approximately 600 individuals have already been sentenced, with more than half of them facing imprisonment terms ranging from three days to 18 years.

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