Russell Taylor

Russell Taylor, who created a Telegram group called "The California Patriots-DC Brigade" to organize "fighters" to travel to Washington, D.C. after Trump tweeted the day would be "wild," carried a knife on his chest and a hatchet in his backpack during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and helped rioters overrun a police line outside the U.S. Capitol; he also gave a backpack containing a knife, a stun baton, two hatchets, and carbon-fiber knuckle gloves to fellow organizer Alan Hostetter to bring to Washington, and encouraged other members of the group to bring weapons and armor. He pleaded guilty to one felony charge, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, with other charges dismissed in exchange for his cooperation in prosecuting fellow "Three Percenter" militia members. He was sentenced on 5/3/2024 to 36 months of probation including 6 months of home detention, a $100 special assessment, $2,000 in restitution, and 100 hours of community service.