WASHINGTON The prosecution wants Douglas Jensen, an alleged Capitol rioter, sent back to prison. They accuse him of violating his pretrial release conditions by accessing the internet repeatedly and also for watching conspiracy theories videos about election fraud.
Jensen was in prison for several months after his January arrest in connection to the Jan. 6 rebellion. Jensen is accused of leading a mob that chased Eugene Goodman, US Capitol Police Officer, through the Capitol. He also was accused of having a knife in his hand at the time. However, Jensen was released by a judge in July over objections from the government. He had to comply with a stringent set of conditions if Jensen wanted to return home.
These conditions also prohibited Jensen from using any device with internet access, such as cell phones. According to the government, after Jensen was released from prison, a judge assigned to his check arrived at Jensen's house to find him listening to news via his WiFi-connected iPhone using the video platform Rumble. Although the government did not say what Jensen was listening too, it provided a link to an article in Washington Post that explained why the site is so popular with conservatives.
The government also described how Jensen admitted to the pretrial service officer that he had spent two days at a cyber symposium hosted and moderated by Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO, who was one of the most prolific and prominent proponents and supporters of election fraud conspiracy theories that fuelled the Jan. 6 riots.
Jensen, a self-described follower the QAnon collective illusion, was a factor that the government used to justify keeping him behind bars. Jensen's lawyer countered by saying that Jensen had realized his mistake after six months in prison. Jensen wrote in June that he felt deceived and that he believed a series of lies.
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According to the government, Jensen's violation of his release conditions just a few hours after he was released from jail proved that the earlier representations to court were false and Jensen could not be trusted to follow court orders.
Jensen's quick violation confirmed what the Government, this Court and this Court had suspected: Jensens alleged disavowal for QAnon was merely an act. His alleged epiphany in D.C. Assistant US Attorney Hava Miell explained that Jail was not self-advocacy and that Jensen will not abandon his misguided beliefs and theories that led him to menacingly pursue Eugene Goodman, U.S Capitol Police Officer, up the Senate stairs on January 6, 2021.
Jensen was present at Lindells symposium which promoted and bolstered voter fraud conspiracies and falsehoods. This made the violations even more egregious for the government.
He has shown that even six months in prison will not stop him from returning to conspiracy theories that led to his assault on a federal officer January 6, 2021. Mirell stated that he was still fully invested in the QAnons lie-pack, contrary to Jensen's claim at his bond hearing.
Jensen's final problem, according to the government, was that Jensen's wife agreed to be his third-party custodian, and ensure he followed the rules. The prosecutor stated that Jensen had access to an internet-connected device and that his wife also agreed to be his third-party custodian. Mirell said that this was because Jensen was unable to trust his wife to oversee him.
Jensen's lawyer did not respond to a request for comment immediately. He will respond by next week.
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