Virginia men sentenced on weapons charges following 2020 arrest near Philadelphia vote counting site
Antonio Lamotta, Joshua Macias (Philadelphia Police Department)
PHILADELPHIA - Two Virginia men who were convicted of weapons charges in an incident during the 2020 election were each sentenced to 11.5 to 23 months behind bars Wednesday.
Joshua Macias and Antonio LaMotta were charged following a Nov. 2020 incident in which they were found with guns an ammunition near the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia where votes were being counted.
Following their arrests, prosecutors argued that Macias, co-founder of Vets for Trump, and LaMotta planned a mas shooting as the outcome of the presidential election remained uncertain. A judge rejected that theory, and found both men guilty of bringing weapons to the city without a permit.
LaMotta was separately facing federal misdemeanor offenses stemming from his alleged illegal entry of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Macias and LaMotta were arrested in Philadelphia after the FBI in Virginia relayed a tip about them to Philadelphia police.
Officers stopped the men, who had driven up from Virginia Beach, about a block from their Hummer SUV. Each man had a handgun on him, while an AR-style rifle and ammunition were found inside the vehicle, which sported an American flag and a window sticker for the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon.
Noth men were also sentenced to at least two years probation.