A Richmond, Virginia, man, who took a picture of himself sitting on top of a SWAT truck as rioters stormed the Capitol building, pleaded guilty to four federal counts for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021.
Antionne DeShaun Brodnax, a 39-year-old aspiring rapper, pleaded guilty to four federal counts of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct in any restricted building or grounds, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Brodnax, also known as Bugzie the Don, was dressed in a red hoodie with dark sunglasses while smoking a cigar during the Capitol riots, The Washington Post reports.
Brodnax pleaded guilty but said he wasn't violent and only took pictures and videos.
Federal agents are now seeking for Brodnax to serve 21 months for using the image he took during the Jan. 6 riots for the cover of his rap album titled The Capital, according to NBC News justice reporter Ryan Reilly. Brodnax's sentencing is set for Jan. 27.
The feds are seeking 21 months for Antoinne Brodnax, who used a Jan. 6 image "on the cover of a rap music album, which includes tracks with titles that reference the attack on the Capitol."
There’s no plea deal, he just pleaded guilty to four counts. pic.twitter.com/duHw2WwKhB
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) February 7, 2022
Before the riots, Brodnax admitted to investigators that he was in Washington, D.C., to shoot a music video. He said he "saw a rally of which many participants descended on the U.S. Capitol building … and entered the building after United States Capitol Police (USCP) moved the gates that blockaded the door," according to court documents, WUSA 9 reports.
Prosecutors argued that Brodnax "walked around and took pictures and videos."
The rapper said he didn't participate in the riots when he entered the building and took "pictures and videos of the architecture," according to the court affidavit.
Brodnax was caught on video requesting a woman to take his picture as he posed at the base of the statue of Norman Borlaug, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, inside the National Statuary Hall. He said he did not break into any offices or chambers and did not steal any items from the building while he was inside for around 40 minutes.
