Jan. 6 defendant attended CPAC without including it in his travel request, prosecutors say

Federal prosecutors say that a man charged over his participation in the Jan 6., 2021 attack at the Capitol violated the terms of his court-approved travel conditions by attending this month’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) without asking. 

According to court documents obtained by CNN, prosecutors said that Garbiel Garcia had sought permission from the court to travel to Washington, D.C., to observe Jan. 6-related trials for members of the far-right group Proud Boys and another defendants, saying that the purpose of his travel was to consult with his counsel pending his own trial. 

But prosecutors said that Garcia, an alleged Proud Boys member, only spent a few hours attending one trial on March 3 before spending the rest of his day at CPAC in Maryland, according to court filings. 

As a condition of his release pending trial on six charges, including two felonies, Garcia isn’t allowed to travel outside the south Florida area without permission. 

“The government is surprised by defendant’s whereabouts on his recent trip,” prosecutors said in the court filing.

Garcia’s defense said that their client did not violate any of his conditions by attending CPAC, while the government said that Gracia attending the conference was not on his “precise itinerary,” CNN reported. 

“The issue is not that defendant attended a political event. The real problem is that defendant has repeatedly [given cause] that his representations to the Court be doubted,” prosecutors said in the court filing, pointing to other “deceptive travel requests.”

The government says Garcia, who had a failed bid for a Florida House of Representative seat in 2020, live-streamed a Facebook video of his activities on Jan. 6, including showing verbal aggression toward Capitol officers during the ordeal. 

Garcia’s trial is set for August, CNN reported. He has entered a plea of not guilty.