{"id":2055249,"date":"2023-10-04T13:11:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-given-secret-jan-6-plea-deal-finished-his-prison-sentence-with-no-public-court-record\/"},"modified":"2023-10-04T13:11:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-04T17:11:39","slug":"man-given-secret-jan-6-plea-deal-finished-his-prison-sentence-with-no-public-court-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-given-secret-jan-6-plea-deal-finished-his-prison-sentence-with-no-public-court-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Man&#8217;s secret plea deal for Jan. 6 incident ends prison term without public record."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fman-given-secret-jan-6-plea-deal-finished-his-prison-sentence-with-no-public-court-record%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2055249&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>A Secret \u200bPlea Deal and Unrecorded Prison\u2064 Term for Jan. 6 \u200cDefendant<\/h2>\n<p>A Jan. 6 \u200ddefendant from Pennsylvania originally charged with felonies\u2062 including\u200d assaulting police at the U.S. \u2063Capitol and civil disorder \u2063was given a secret\u2063 plea deal and served his entire prison term without details being recorded on\u200d a public\u2063 court docket.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>A Jan. 6 defendant \u200bfrom Pennsylvania, Samuel Lazar, \u200c37, of Ephrata, \u200cPa., was arrested \u2064by the FBI on July 26, 2021,\u200c and later \u2063charged in a superseding indictment \u200cwith assaulting,\u2063 resisting or\u2063 impeding certain officers, \u200ccivil disorder, entering and\u2062 remaining in a \u2063restricted building or grounds with\u200c a \u2062deadly or dangerous weapon, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or \u200dgrounds \u200dwith a deadly or \u2064dangerous weapon, and an act \u200dof physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.<\/p>\n<p>Despite \u200dhis\u2064 numerous requests for reconsideration, Mr. Lazar was ordered \u2062detained\u200d until trial.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"mb-3 font-sans text-[16px] font-semibold uppercase leading-[19px] text-[#2F2F2F]\">Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/challenges-to-jan-6-obstruction-of-congress-prosecutions-pile-up-at-us-supreme-court-5503047?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">Challenges to Jan. \u200b6 Obstruction of Congress Prosecutions\u200c Pile Up at US Supreme Court<\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">10\/3\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<h3><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/10-oath-keepers-still-await-sentencing-on-jan-6-conspiracy-obstruction-charges-5500757?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\">10 Oath Keepers \u200dStill Await Sentencing on \u200cJan. 6 Conspiracy, Obstruction Charges<\/a><\/h3>\n<p class=\"text-comp-caption text-[14px] leading-[18px]\">9\/29\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On March 8, 2022,\u200b Mr. \u2063Lazar \u200caccepted a deal from prosecutors and pleaded guilty to one felony: \u2062assaulting,\u2063 resisting, or impeding certain officers and aiding and abetting. The plea deal included language that Mr. Lazar would assist federal authorities with the ongoing Jan. 6 \u2064investigation, according to a case status report filed\u200d on Oct. 2.<\/p>\n<p>United\u2062 States \u2062District Judge Amy Berman\u200d Jackson sentenced Mr. Lazar to 30 months\u2063 in \u2064prison on March\u200d 17, \u200c2023, in \u2062a sealed hearing. He was given credit for time served and released from the U.S. \u2064Bureau of\u2062 Prisons on \u200bSept. 13.<\/p>\n<p>On Sept. 29, \u2062the Press Coalition filed a renewed motion for\u200b access to \u200ball sealed \u2063or otherwise un-docketed records in the case, including \u2062any change \u200dof plea, sentencing memoranda, and a transcript of the \u200dsentencing hearing. Judge Jackson denied \u200da similar motion in May.<\/p>\n<p>The judge said the prosecution and defense have approved unsealing the records now that Mr. Lazar is out of \u2062prison. The Department of Justice \u200dasked for\u200c 30 days\u2063 to\u2063 redact sensitive portions of the paperwork in\u200b the sealed case, the status update\u200c said.<\/p>\n<p>The Press \u2063Coalition\u2063 motion on April 23 came in the wake\u200c of national and local news \u2063reports that Mr. Lazar was \u200csentenced in March 2023 based on a plea agreement. There was\u200b no notation of it on\u200b the public court\u200d docket, nor was there an indication that any hearings or documents were sealed \u200dby the court.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Oct. 2 status report, there is another case number (22-cr-071) and docket under seal that contains the information\u200d missing from the\u2064 original public docket\u2064 (21-cr-00525).<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Lazar was accused of deploying a\u2062 can of pepper \u200bspray on the police\u2062 line on the Capitol\u2019s west plaza and \u2063trying to pull down metal barriers\u200c just after 1 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>A\u2062 video from later that afternoon showed Mr. Lazar recounting what \u2063happened with police officers \u200dat the barricades.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey maced us, those tyrannical pieces of [expletive], and we maced them right the [expletive] back, and \u2062now\u2062 they\u2019re taking the\u2064 building,\u201d he said, \u200caccording to the FBI&#8217;s statement \u200bof facts in the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey attacked the people,\u201d Mr. Lazar continued. \u201cWe have\u200b a right to defend ourselves. [Expletive] the tyrants. There\u2019s \u2063a time for peace, and there\u2019s a \u2062time for war.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The case docket\u2064 appeared normal for a \u200dJan. \u200b6 case, with the Press Coalition being given\u200c access to \u2062early government video exhibits.<\/p>\n<h2>Gap in Case Docket<\/h2>\n<p>The \u2064docket, however, went quiet after June 13, \u200d2022, when Judge Jackson canceled\u2063 the status\u200d hearing set \u200bfor that\u2062 day with no \u2063replacement date scheduled.<\/p>\n<p>There was not another public docket entry until March 9, 2023, with the assignment of a new prosecutor to the\u200d case.<\/p>\n<p>The DOJ requires Jan.\u200b 6\u2062 defendants who accept plea agreements to cooperate with the\u200c FBI and federal prosecutors\u2064 in\u200b the ongoing \u2063Jan.\u2063 6\u200d investigation.<\/p>\n<p>Eight Oath \u2063Keepers-related defendants \u200bwho \u200btook plea deals had their sentencing hearings delayed \u2064up\u200c to\u200b 15 months\u200d because they were assisting the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>The Lazar case could be\u2063 the first, however, where the \u2064change of plea and the sentencing were kept secret\u200d under court \u200dseal for \u2063months.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Supreme Court has sketched\u2062 a \u200ctwo-stage process for resolving whether the\u200d First Amendment affords the public access \u2064to a particular judicial record or\u200b proceeding,\u201d \u200cwrote Charles D. Tobin, attorney for the Press Coalition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst, the court\u2063 must determine whether a qualified First Amendment right of public \u2063access\u2064 exists. \u2064If so, then . \u2063. .\u200b the record\u2063 or proceeding may \u2063be closed only if closure is \u2064essential to preserve higher \u200cvalues and is\u200b narrowly tailored to serve that interest,\u201d wrote Mr. Tobin, citing the 2017 \u2064case Dhiab v. Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe public docket contains no argument by the parties or finding by the court that the withholding \u2062of the sealed judicial\u2062 records is essential to preserve \u2062any higher\u2062 values,\u201d Mr. Tobin wrote.\u200b \u201cNor are \u200dthere any public findings that \u2063narrowly targeted redactions would \u200bnot sufficiently protect any such interest.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In a supplemental filing on \u200dMay 15, the \u2063Press\u2063 Coalition included \u2064a\u200b printout from the U.S. Bureau of \u2062Prisons showing that\u2063 Mr. Lazar was\u2062 being held at\u200c the Federal Correction Institution in Fort Dix, N.J. The document \u200csaid he was scheduled for release on \u200cSept. 13.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Jackson denied\u200b the Press Coalition \u200dmotion on\u2063 May 19 and\u200b told the parties \u2062to file an \u200dupdate in the case \u2064by Sept. 29.<\/p>\n<p>Bureau of Prisons online records show that Mr. Lazar was indeed released from custody on Sept. 13.<\/p>\n<p><em>The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u200cWhat \u200cis the justification for sealing the records containing personal information about Mr. Lazar and other witnesses, as well as sensitive law enforcement techniques, and\u2062 could the sensitive information have been redacted or withheld without completely sealing the \u200bentire case<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Case\u2062 number (22-cr-071) and\u200d the filing \u200cof the superseding indictment on March 14. This gap in the case docket raised questions about what occurred during\u200c this\u2063 period and why the \u2062proceedings were not recorded on the\u2062 public court docket.<\/p>\n<p>The sealed nature of Mr. Lazar&#8217;s \u2062plea deal and prison term\u200b is concerning \u200cfor several reasons. First and foremost, it\u200c undermines the transparency and accountability of the justice system.\u2063 The public has a right to know the details of criminal proceedings, particularly in \u200dcases as significant as the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Keeping such information hidden\u2062 not only erodes \u200btrust in the system but also prevents\u200c proper scrutiny and examination of the actions taken by \u200bthe court.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the lack of\u2063 transparency in Mr. Lazar&#8217;s case \u2064sets a worrying precedent. If defendants are allowed to receive plea deals\u200c and serve their prison terms without any public record, it raises the possibility\u200b of hidden deals and\u200d unequal treatment under\u2062 the law. The justice\u2063 system should be\u200d fair and impartial, ensuring\u200c that \u200dall\u2063 individuals are \u200bsubject to the same standards and scrutiny.<\/p>\n<p>In denying the Press Coalition&#8217;s motion for access to sealed records in May, Judge Jackson stated that the\u200c sealed documents contained personal information about Mr. Lazar and other witnesses, as \u200dwell as sensitive law enforcement techniques. While it is important \u200cto protect sensitive information, it is equally important \u200dto strike a balance between transparency and the \u200bneed \u2063for \u200bsecrecy. In this case, the judge&#8217;s decision to unseal the records\u2064 after Mr. Lazar&#8217;s release\u2064 from prison suggests that the sensitive information could have been \u2063redacted or withheld without completely sealing the entire case.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Justice&#8217;s request for 30 days to redact sensitive portions of the sealed case paperwork appears\u2062 reasonable, considering the importance of \u2063protecting sensitive \u2063information. However,\u2063 it is imperative that this\u2062 redaction \u2064process is \u2063carried out\u200d in good faith, without\u2064 any attempts\u2064 to further obscure the details of Mr. Lazar&#8217;s case.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the\u200b lack of\u200c transparency\u200d surrounding\u200c Mr. Lazar&#8217;s plea deal and prison term raises serious concerns about the integrity\u200d of the justice system. It is\u200d crucial for the \u2062court to provide a \u200dclear and detailed explanation for the sealing of\u200d these records, \u2064as well as a justification for the\u200d secrecy\u200d surrounding \u200bthe proceedings. The \u200cpublic&#8217;s trust in the justice system relies on transparency, accountability, and equal treatment under the law. The Jan. 6 Capitol attack is a stain on our democracy, and it\u200d is essential that \u200ball those involved are held accountable\u2064 in a \u2063fair and transparent manner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Pennsylvania defendant charged with assaulting police at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 received a secret plea deal. Samuel Lazar, 37, served his prison term without public record of the details. The FBI arrested him on July 26, 2021.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":347,"featured_media":2055250,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2055249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2055249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/347"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2055249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2055249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2055250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2055249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2055249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2055249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}