Patrick McCaughey

Like a few thousand others, Patrick and his father decided to attend the ‘Stop the Steal’ rallies on Washington, DC to peacefully express their concerns about the inconsistencies of the vote count in several critical cities.After the rally ended, they headed toward the capital along with the throngs of others.  What they witnessed astounded them. Police immediately became very aggressive.  And these were not your typical officers schooled in crowd control. As is well documented, Nancy Pelosi told the DC National Guard to stand down.  To this day she’s never given a satisfying answer about that decision but, they National Guard are trained for this – the average Police men and women are not. 

Patrick and his dad watched as police firing randomly into the crowd of people outside the Capitol. They watched as make-shift barricades were erected and police started pushing people toward the Capitol building with no way to back out. The crowd lurched forward, many of them gagging and vomiting which made others slip. People were getting crushed, passing out, and at the same time, rabble rousers – many of whom have now been identified as FBI plants and some Antifa members – stoked the crowd into a frenzy. The police held the crowds at bay with their shields and batons. Patrick was struck several times in the head so he decided to grab one of the police shields.  He used it to push back and that became the spark of all his legal troubles. He had just ‘assaulted’ a police officer.

After that, Patrick was finally able to get out of the crowd and find his way back to his father.  They went home, saddened by the ugly confrontation with the police.

A week later on January 19, 2021 Patrick’s life would be completely upended.  While Patrick and his family were having dinner, the FBI kicked down the front door of their home. Racing into the room, brandishing automatic weapons with laser targeting that pointed at everyone sitting at the table! Patrick’s father said to them, “You need a warrant to come in here,” to which the black-clad agent, pushing his gun close to his son’s mouth replied, “No we don’t. Now, we are going to take your son and if you move, you are dead.”  The FBI can behave this way because of The Patriot Act which enables the FBI to label anyone “a domestic terrorist” without defining it.  Most Republicans in Congress support this barbarity.

Patrick was arrested on Jan. 19, 2021, and indicted on nine counts, misdemeanors and felonies, mostly related to the pressing of the crowd against the police.  The prosecution tried to make a case that the riot shield Patrick grabbed was considered a ‘dangerous weapon’ which carries extra penalties if the judge agrees.  Fortunately, the judge did not buy it.  On September 9^th, 2022, in a bench trial, Patrick was found guilty on all counts and remanded to Lewisburg Penitentiary, where he remains today.  Patrick was put in insolation for 23 hours per day. At a bail hearing, the federal judge demanded non-secured real estate valued at $1 million be put up for bond. Luckily, there was no mortgage on the McCaughey home, and Patrick Sr. was able to post the bail to allow his son to be free from prison for several months before sentencing.  

Patrick’s sentencing took place on Jan. 26 of 2023 and he was given 7.5 years, plus two years of supervised released and hefty fines. The elongated sentence for Patrick and many others is due to a loophole Federal Prosecutors seem to be misapplying and may not hold up in the appellate court.  This is the 1512 statute passed for financial crimes and currently before the Supreme Court.  And if that’s not enough, federalgovernment still holds a claim on the McCaughey home.  Patrick’s attorneys are actively seeking to appeal such an outrageous sentence