NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At least seven Tennesseans are still awaiting trial for charges related to the insurrection, two years after hundreds of people stormed the nation’s capital.
The U.S. Department of Justice reports more than 950 people were arrested for what took place on Jan. 6, 2021. Nearly half of them are still either considering a plea deal or heading to trial.
As with everything else in the pandemic, the courts have had to adjust. In some cases, this means hearings and trials take longer to schedule.
Former federal prosecutor Alex Little says while not every update made headlines, it doesn’t mean there’s any less progress.
“There are active proceedings in these cases happening every week, and so the fact that we maybe aren’t watching doesn’t mean it’s not going on. Some individuals are still being looked for. The FBI has pictures out there saying we want to charge these people. So it’s not true to say this is over,” Little said.
There have been 11 Tennesseans who accepted plea deals over the past two years, but the majority of them involved misdemeanor charges and probation.
Many of those who have already accepted plea deals were spared prison time, although some were charged with crimes that the courts deemed too serious to overlook.
Albuquerque Head, of Kingsport, pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison.
We've heard some stories through testimony given in court, where suspects have offered apologies.
Bryan Ivey, of Crossville, even told a judge last year, that he was brainwashed into thinking that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from President Donald Trump.
Ivey’s attorney told the judge in a memo that: “Mr. Ivey believed that the lies about the election were true and he traveled to Washington, D.C., with his wife and brother to participate in the ‘Stop the Steal’ protest. He now accepts the results of the 2020 presidential election, and he promises this court that he will never again engage in illegal activity at the Capitol or anywhere else.”
Ivey was given three years of probation and ordered to undergo mental health treatment as a condition of his plea agreement.
“You’re seeing sort of the tail end of these cases, but they’re not over by any means,” Little said.
While the FBI says there are still searching for about 350 people who could face charges, Little says their scope is much wider than ever before.
He says not only are prosecutors focused on those who intended to do harm at the capitol, but also those responsible for inciting the chaos.
"One of the things that sort of got missed in the appointment of Jack Smith to investigate President Trump for some of the issues with Mar-a-Lago is that he was also appointed to look into anything related to Jan. 6. So I think if there's going to be a broader case brought against people who weren't there but may have encouraged those actions, you're going to see that this year,” Little said.
The January 6th Committee did recommend barring President Donald Trump from ever holding office again.
They focused on the section of the Constitution that says if someone engaged in an insurrection or gave aid or comfort to the enemies of the Constitution, they can be disqualified from office.
The committee is also calling on lawyers, involved in efforts to overturn the election, to be held accountable.
The FBI says they're still searching for about 350 people for what they did on and around the capitol two years ago. They say about 250 of them are wanted for assaulting police officers.
They've put together a list online complete with photographs and video, so you can help identify these suspects.
