Justice Department provided exhibits show accused Jan. 6 rioter John Banuelos, left, exposing a firearm strapped to his waist and right, shooting a firearm while atop scaffolding at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
At his arraignment hearing on Monday, John Banuelos of Illinois, a man accused of firing a gun into the air during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, told the presiding judge “I have nothing to worry about” because, he claimed, Donald Trump was going to be back in office in six months.
As Law&Crime previously reported, the 39-year-old was arrested in March after the FBI was tipped off to his whereabouts by someone who had known him for years. Prior to his arraignment, prosecutors insisted Banuelos remain in detention, citing his criminal history of domestic violence and an incident where he stabbed someone. Federal prosecutors dubbed him, without mincing words, “mind-numbingly dangerous.”
Banuelos pleaded not guilty on Monday to six counts including felony civil disorder, trespassing with a deadly or dangerous weapon and carrying and discharging a firearm. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct.
CBS reporter Scott MacFarlane attended Banuelos’ arraignment before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan on Monday. Banuelos appeared remotely from Zoom from a jail in Chicago where he has been in detention since his arrest on March 9.
Proceedings quickly descended into Banuelos lashing out at his appointed lawyer and saying he was unable to trust anyone to represent him.
“They’re f—— with me,” he proclaimed, adding that his public defenders were “public pretenders.”
Banuelos also appeared confused about why he would need to be transferred to a jail in Washington, D.C., though Chutkan, who notably is the same judge who is presiding over Donald Trump’s election subversion case, reminded him repeatedly about rules around venue.
Justice Department provided photos of accused Jan. 6 rioter John Banuelos at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021.
CBS reported that after Chutkan advised Banuelos to stick with his public defender instead of representing himself pro se, it was the Illinois man who couldn’t help but get a final word in.
Just moments after his attorney entered his plea, Banuelos remarked: “I have nothing to worry about” because, he opined, Trump would be reelected in six months.
Banuelos got the final word in … after his lawyer entered a not guilty plea on Banuelos’s behalf.
Before the video hearing ended, he predicted Trump would be back in office in six months … emphasizing “I have nothing to worry about”
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) May 20, 2024
The Illinois man may not be totally off the mark in believing such a thing if Trump is reelected.
Trump, who faces multiple felony charges alleging he conspired to obstruct the certification of the 2020 election, has regularly vowed to free anyone he thinks was “wrongfully imprisoned” on criminal charges related to Jan. 6.
He refers to these criminal defendants as “political hostages.” In fact, Trump’s remark about freeing “January 6 hostages” on March 11 came just three days after authorities finally arrested Banuelos.
Banuelos is now being transferred from Illinois to Washington, D.C., and according to a review of the federal docket, the judge has requested a status conference be held once he is situated though a final date has not yet been scheduled.
On Jan. 6, 2021, Banuelos was seen in footage from the Capitol turning a gloved hand into a “finger gun” as he pretended to fire at police multiple times before he allegedly used the full weight of his body to break apart a line of officers. Photos from the day also show Banuelos with a firearm strapped at his waistband as he lifts his jacket to show it off.
When he fired the gun, it was 2:33 p.m. and the mob was washing over the Capitol He stood atop the inaugural stage scaffolding, waved to those below him and then pulled the gun from his hop and fired two shots into the air. He made his way down to the mob below and rejoined them, according to a statement of facts.
When the FBI finally caught up with Banuelos, he denied ever intending to hurt anyone and, as Law&Crime reported, he told authorities a lot of his social media posts — including one from someone using the name John Banuelos in October 2023 where he appears to be racking the slide of a semiautomatic weapon — was artificial intelligence.
Banuelos was not licensed to carry a gun on Jan. 6, 2021, according to prosecutors.
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