Tristan C. Stevens

Tristan Stevens is a 28 year old data scientist and software developer from Pensacola, FL.  Earlier in his career he was a TV media representative.  Tristan graduated in 2019 from Pensacola State College.  He is a registered Democrat who supported President Trump in the 2020 election.

Like millions of Americans, Tristan was shocked by the sudden swing in vote counts on election night 2020 and early the following morning.  In the dead of night, six swing counties in which President Trump was ahead simultaneously stopped counting votes.  Early the next morning, the vote counts continued, but suddenly thousands of Biden ballots appeared, and Biden was comfortably in the lead in all six counties.  There has never been a satisfactory explanation.  It is well known that Democrats favor early voting, and Republicans tend to vote on election day; those “banked” Biden ballots should have been the first to be counted.

Responding to President Trump’s call to peacefully assemble on January 6th, 2021, Tristan traveled to Washington, DC, to protest what they firmly believed to be a fraudulent 2020 election.  Following President Trump’s remarks to the assembled group of patriots near the White House, Tristan walked with the crowd toward the Capitol building. 

According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 6, 2021, Tristan illegally made his way on to the restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol, and taunted officers at the West Front.

According to the DOJ, Tristan was one of the leading figures in a group of rioters that for more than 90 minutes tried to overpower officers guarding the entrance to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel and force their way into the Capitol building.

He and two co-defendants ultimately broke through the police line after approximately 2:30 p.m., when the line on the West Front failed under the siege of the advancing mob. The DOJ claims each of the defendants scaled the Southwest scaffolding and staircase, to converge together at the tunnel created by the inaugural platform structure on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol Building.  

“He used his hands and his voice as he counted down so that the rioters could push in unison after he realized that uncoordinated efforts were bound to be unsuccessful. He used a stolen police shield when he realized he needed a bigger surface area to pin officers during the battle in attempt to break through them. And he attempted to grab a baton from an officer after he realized that his body weight and the force of the shield were not enough to break through the police line.”

Tristan was charged with: Assaulting, Resisting or Impeding Certain Officers Aiding and Abetting: Assaulting, Resisting, or Impeding Certain Officers: Aiding and Abetting, Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees: Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and aiding and abetting: Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting (this is a felony statute from a financial crime bill currently being challenged in the United States Supreme Court.  The DOJ uses it because it is a felony and they can then upgrade misdemeanors in order to maximize sentencing); Civil disorder; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Engaging in Physical Violence in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Act of Physical Violence in the Capitol Grounds or Buildings.

During Tristan’s joint trial with multiple codefendants, several officers described their experiences in the tunnel. Among them was former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, who was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service during the tunnel siege and who has testified to Congress denouncing the assault.

“It was claustrophobic. It was brutal. We (had) the mob yelling, screaming, chanting, the fire alarm going off, the sprinklers going off, the pepper spray, the bear spray, the WD-40 spray, the firecrackers being thrown at us, the weapons that they used, flagpoles, the heave-ho push movement, back and forth,” Gonell recalled in his testimony. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office requested that Tristan be sentenced to 78 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release.

What Gonell and the DOJ fail to mention is that the Capitol Police started the brutality by using tear gas, pepper spray, and firing rubber bullets into the peaceful crowd. 

Defense attorneys for Tristan had sought a sentence in the range at or below 18 to 24 months of imprisonment, citing that he had been on pretrial supervision for 25 months with no violations, that he had no prior criminal history, and that the conviction would already serve to impede Tristan’s ability to find future employment and opportunities.

“The collateral consequences of this conviction are significant to Mr. Stevens and serve to deter him from ever again interfering with police,” Stevens’ attorney Lauren Cobb wrote.

Judge Trevor N. McFadden ultimately sentenced Stevens to 60 months of incarceration, 24 months of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.  Tristan was convicted on four counts of assaulting or aiding and abetting in assaulting law enforcement officers, one count of interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, all felonies, and four misdemeanor charges: disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and committing an act of violence in the Capitol Building or grounds. 

Judge McFadden said that he relied mostly on video in the case, saying that the officers who testified in the trial added “little” to what the video showed.  McFadden — a former police officer himself — critiqued officers Hodges and Gonell, saying the two acted more as victims and less as witnesses when they testified on the stand, although he praised them for their actions on January 6.

Tristan’s brother, Connor, asks for support for his brother and for all January 6th defendants.  He states that Tristan has consistently been a beacon of hope and courage for countless people. Now, Tristan is in prison for daring to speak the truth and fighting for what he believes in.  “Let’s join hands and fight for justice, not just for my brother, but for all who have suffered under the weight of oppression.”

The mainstream media and some federal officials routinely label anyone associated with the January 6th protest as a “domestic terrorist” or “insurrectionist” despite the fact that the term “domestic terrorist” is not defined in the Patriot Act.  This allows them to destroy Constitutional rights, such as a speedy trial.  Likewise, no one associated with January 6th has ever been charged with, let alone convicted of, insurrection.

You may write to Tristan at the following address:

Tristan Stevens

#28992-509

FCI Yazoo City Low

Federal Correctional Institution

P.O. Box 5000

Yazoo City, MS 39194

Please note: Mail received by prisoners is monitored.  Please keep your messages to general encouragement and/or a religious nature.  It is best to not mention the events of January 6th, politics in general, or any event or events currently under criminal investigation.