Parole Violator Who Raided Senate Building Sold Out By The GPS Unit Attached To Him For Previous Parole Violations

from the GOP-might-not-be-attracting-the-best-and-brightest dept

Here's the latest stupid way pro-Trump rioters are getting arrested for their participation in the Little Insurrection That Couldn't. Surprisingly, the inauguration went off without a hitch, but no one could have seen that coming a couple of weeks ago, when Trump fans raided the Senate building in an attempt to prevent election results from being certified.

Opsec was the last thing on many invaders' minds. Providing great content for Parler followers or whatever seemed to be more important. The fierce opposition to wearing masks for health reasons carried over to a reluctance to wear masks for "committing federal crimes" reasons. Plenty of public posts to various social media services have made it exceedingly easy for investigators to track down perpetrators without having to leave their desks.

I hesitate to call this the peak of January 6th related stupidity. There's always a chance this will be topped. But this is just gobsmackingly idiotic. As we're all painfully aware, cellphones generate a ton of useful (to investigators) location data that can track movements and tie people to criminal activities.

It's one thing to forget your cellphone is an omnipresent snitch. It's quite another to forget you're wearing a device specifically designed to deliver your current location data to law enforcement. May I introduce to this fucking guy:

Bryan Betancur is one of dozens of people that have been arrested in the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol. He was arrested on Sunday, and is expected to make his first court appearance in D.C. on Monday afternoon.

A screenshot of Betancur's Instagram account allegedly shows him outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 flashing a sign linked to white supremacist groups.

Screenshots are good. Precise location data is better. And Betancur delivered that to investigators in a way few others involved in the half-assed insurrection have. Behold this galaxy brain at work.

Investigators say their case relies in part on location data produced by the GPS unit that the man was wearing for a prior offense.

Someone who committed some crimes and committed another crime by violating his parole decided to commit more crimes -- all while wearing something that was supposed to encourage him to commit fewer crimes by informing law enforcement of his whereabouts at all times.

And, while Betancur originally admitted he had been in the Capitol and was on the receiving end of tear gas dispensed by Capitol police, he walked some of those statements back when questioned further. Unfortunately, he couldn't walk back his previous footsteps inside the Capitol building, which means he too will likely be facing charges beyond (yet another) parole violation.

Filed Under: bryan betancur, capitol, gps, insurrection, parole violator