A 71-year-old Vietnam veteran from Alabama has pleaded guilty to bringing 11 Molotov cocktails and unlicensed weapons to the Capitol...
A 71-year-old Vietnam veteran from Alabama has pleaded guilty to bringing 11 Molotov cocktails and unlicensed weapons to the Capitol riot on January 6.
Lonnie Leroy Coffman admitted to one federal count of possessing an unregistered firearm or destructive device and one local count of carrying a pistol without a license in DC court on Friday.
His plea deal appeared in danger when he claimed in court that the gasoline in the devices was too old to ignite.
That prompted US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to warn him that refuting elements of the charges against him could scupper his own plea deal.
Coffman, a native of Falkville, Alabama who has been held in custody since his January arrest, faces up to 46 months in prison under non-binding sentencing guidelines, with a sentencing hearing set for April 1.
Photos from the Capitol riot on January 6 show Lonnie Coffman, 71, walking with a crowd near the federal building. He had two loaded firearms on him when he was arrested that night
Coffman's pickup truck, which he lived in for a week prior to the January attacks, was full of Molotov cocktails, machetes and handwritten notes
Most shockingly, officers found eleven mason jars with holes punched at the top and a flammable liquid inside, suggesting they were Molotov cocktails ready to be thrown
On January 6, Capitol Police found Coffman's red GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck packed with 11 mason jars filled with a flammable liquid 'with a hole punched in the top of each jar, along with lighters and rags,' according to prosecutors.
The truck was parked near the Capitol as officers conducted a search for explosives in nearby buildings. Coffman had driven it to DC and been living inside it for a week prior to the deadly riots.
They discovered a loaded rifle, a loaded handgun and a loaded shotgun; a crossbow with bolts; several machetes; camouflage smoke devices, and a stun gun, prosecutors said.
When he was arrested, Coffman was also found to have two unlicensed pistols on his person, according to court documents
On January 11, a grand jury indicted Coffman on 17 charges including possession of unregistered firearms, unlawful possession of ammunition and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.
Under the terms of his plea agreement, the rest of the 17-count indictment was dropped in exchange for his guilty plea on two counts.
In court on Friday, Coffman endangered his deal by claiming he had created the Molotov devices several years ago, and that the gasoline inside them was too old to ignite.
'If you're not agreeing to it, I'm not accepting it,' Judge Kollar-Kotelly warned Coffman of his plea deal.
After consulting with his attorney, Coffman admitted that while he did not 'plan any action' with the devices, he knew that they 'could have been used' as Molotov cocktails and may have still been incendiary.
Prosecutors say police found hundreds of rounds of ammunition in Coffman's truck
The Army veteran from Alabama also took a crossbow with bolts to the riot
Officers stumbled across Coffman's truck as they were searching the perimeter for bombs
In 2014, the FBI identified him as part of Camp Lonestar, a gathering for Texas militia groups
Coffman is an Army veteran who served two tours during the Vietnam War.
According to family members, he dealt with depression and 'often spoke about the difficulty he had dealing with the experiences from the war,' according to court documents.
A family member said Coffman 'became a hermit after he separated from his wife,' according to the court document.
Prosecutors say Coffman went to Washington in December 2020, a month before the Capitol riot, to try to find the house of Senator Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican.
Coffman allegedly called Cruz's office to discuss concerns over perceived 'election fraud,' and staffers at Cruz's office noted that Coffman seemed 'unbalanced' or 'not 100 percent there.'
In May, a judge denied him bond citing his part in the camp and the large stockpile of weapons
A grand jury indicted Coffman on seventeen counts, including carrying a rifle or a shotgun
Coffman is one of hundreds arrested after rioters supporting then-President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol on January 6 and disrupted the certification of President Joe Biden's election win.
Photos from the riot show him walking with a crowd near the Capitol during the unrest.
Police also found handwritten notes on his truck, including one with a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln that read, 'We The People Are The Rightful Masters Of Both The Congress And The Courts, Not To Overthrow The Constitution But To Overthrow The Men Who Pervert The Constitution.'
Officers found the weapons and notes during a sweep of the area after pipe bombs were found near two buildings.
The Capitol Police bomb squad was investigating reports of explosives at the Democratic National Committee Headquarters and the National Republican Club - both minutes away from the Capitol - when they found Coffman's loaded truck in the area.
Coffman had allegedly gone to Sen. Ted Cruz's office a month before the riot to discuss 'election fraud,' and staffers there said he appeared 'unbalanced' and 'not 100 percent there'
Five people died after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol building, breaking in while Congress was certifying the 2020 election for Joe Biden
Prosecutors said Coffman left his truck on the morning of the riot and was arrested when he returned to the vehicle in the evening. He had two more loaded weapons on him, according to prosecutors, suggesting that he participated in the riot with the weapons on him.
A judge in May denied Coffman bond citing his participation in a militia training camp and large stockpile of weapons.
According to earlier court filings, the FBI in 2014 identified Coffman as a participant at Camp Lonestar, a reported gathering place for Texas militia groups, and said he had information about two other militia groups.
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