PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio, AP) — A Philadelphia judge denied the District Attorney’s motion to hold a Virginia man in contempt of court. Joshua Macias is accused of driving into the city during the presidential vote count, with guns in his Hummer.
Macias, a Vets for Trump co-founder, was arrested on weapons and elections law charges in November 2020 after he allegedly drove, armed with guns and ammunition, to the Pennsylvania Convention Center where votes were being counted. Prosecutors said Macias and co-defendant Antonio LaMotta planned a mass shooting.
Prosecutors showed a seven-minute video from early June, which they argued was against a court order forbidding him from posting on social media.
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District Attorney Larry Krasner had also asked this week that Macias be held in contempt because of video that shows him meeting with top leaders of two far-right extremist groups in Washington the day before the Jan. 6 riot.
“We need to radically reconsider whether Joshua Macias is a midsized fish or a shark. I believe he is a shark," Krasner said at a news conference Monday.
Defense lawyers William J. Brennan and Alan Tauber, who played videotaped character statements in court Friday from several evangelical pastors and fellow veterans, said Macias was not a danger to anyone. They said he did not enter the U.S. Capitol after attending the rally for Donald Trump on Jan. 6.
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“He's not been charged in any matters related to Jan. 6, he's never been in trouble before and he poses no danger to the community,'' Brennan said.
Common Pleas Judge Lucretia Clemons said she could have revoked bail but instead chose to warn Macias, 43, to “stay off social media.”
Both Macias and LaMotta are scheduled for trial in October.
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