NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — He was caught on camera storming the nation’s Capitol and now Bryan Ivey said he was brainwashed by “certain politicians and irresponsible media” into believing that President Joe Biden’s victory had been rigged.
The Tennessee native issued an apology through his attorney in the 11-page sentencing memo sent to federal Judge Christopher Cooper.
Ivey’s attorney David Baker stated in the memo that, “Mr. Ivey believed that the lies about the election were true and he traveled to Washington D.C. with his wife and brother to participate in the ‘Stop the Steal’ protest.”
He went on to say Ivey was only there to hear former President Donald Trump speak. When he couldn’t attend, he followed the crowd to the Capitol.
Surveillance video captured Ivey near a window, as someone he claimed he doesn’t know smashed his way inside. NewsChannel 5 doesn’t see Ivey crawl in the window, but photos from inside the Capitol show him waving people to join him in the rotunda.
Ivey claimed the violence he saw was traumatizing, so he left after 35 minutes and later sought help from a mental health professional.
He was arrested in March 2021 on four charges that were later dropped to just one, after agreeing to plead guilty to one count of parading, picketing, and demonstrating inside the Capitol.
“He now accepts the results of the 2020 presidential election, and he promises this court that he will never again engage in illegal activity at the Capitol or anywhere else.”
Ivey’s attorney asked the judge to consider that his client has almost no criminal record and has not violated any conditions of his release on bond.
Former federal prosecutor Alex Little said he predicted attorneys were eager to settle cases with lesser charges, hoping it leads to those who incited the violence.
“You start at the bottom. You gather information. You flip cooperators until eventually, you get enough information and enough cooperating witnesses to go after the people at the top of the pyramid,” Little said.
Ivey asked the court for probation instead of jail time. He said he’s willing to continue mental health treatment, but prosecutors said it’s clear Ivey knew what he was doing was wrong.
They claim he wiped his phone clean of all videos and pictures the moment he came back to Tennessee. While some suspect this was done to hide his involvement, for Ivey it’s about much more than what we may or may not have seen.
Ivey has agreed to continue mental health treatment and pay restitution of up to $500. Sentencing has been scheduled for March 30.
Of the 17 people from Tennessee who stormed the Capitol, only two others have been sentenced and were given probation for misdemeanor charges.
More than 725 people were arrested as part of the Capitol riots. Just more than 70 have been sentenced.
