WASHINGTON — Christopher Worrell, a Florida Proud Boy convicted on seven counts stemming from his actions during the Jan. 6 riot, was scheduled to be sentenced today in Washington, D.C, federal court but is now missing, according to a spokeswoman from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“We are interested in any information the public may have about his whereabouts,” spokeswoman Patricia Hartman told NBC News.
A lawyer for Worrell declined to comment.
Court records show that Worrell’s sentencing hearing, originally scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET, has been indefinitely postponed. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issued an order making public the existence of an arrest warrant for Worrell. That order was not publicly docketed until Friday.
May 19, 202303:18
Judge Lamberth convicted Worrell on all seven charges he was facing following a five-day bench trial in May. Those charges included obstruction of an official proceeding, assaulting officers and engaging in violence on Capitol grounds.
“The evidence demonstrates that Mr. Worrell traveled to Washington, D.C., for the purpose of ensuring that the Electoral College Certification of President Biden failed,” Lamberth said in a written version of his ruling against Worrell.
“The evidence shows that he then furthered that goal, by both joining the mob and then by spraying the officers,” Lamberth continued, referring to Worrell’s use of a “pepper gel” spray against police during the riot.
Prosecutors are seeking a 14-year prison sentence for Worrell, citing his refusal to take responsibility, his lack of remorse and lies that he told while under oath. Worrell’s co-defendant Daniel Scott, another Florida Proud Boy, was sentenced to five years in prison last month.
Worrell had been initially detained pre-trial following his arrest in March 2021. However, Lamberth ordered Worrell released to home detention in November 2021 after finding that DC jail officials had failed to provide Worrell with adequate treatment for his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a broken hand that may have required surgery.
As part of his conditions of release, Worrell surrendered his passport and was subject to GPS monitoring.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
