2 Virginia men convicted on gun charges stemming from 2020 arrest during presidential election week
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner and city officials announced the convictions of two Virginia men who were arrested outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center in November 2020 while the presidential election votes were being counted. Authorities say Joshua Macias and Antonio LaMotta were unlawfully armed at the time of the incident.
The DA says their convictions come as a warning to anyone who attempts to threaten voters or election workers.
"We are here for a very important purpose and that's to save our democracy," Krasner said.
Krasner proclaimed justice had been served during his press conference that was streamed on CBS News Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
Two Donald Trump supporters from Virginia now stand convicted after making their way to the Pennsylvania Convention Center as votes from the November 2020 presidential election were being counted.
"Antonio LaMotta and Joshua Macias who thought the way to deal with an election was to put an AR-15 in your car with 130 plus rounds of ammunition, put guns on your hips," Krasner said. "And go to a place where you don't live to mess with votes that aren't yours."
Prosecutors say LaMotta and Macias then drove up in a hummer. The duo were stopped by Philadelphia police acting on intel from the FBI.
"I'm calling on the courts to impose the maximum sentence on LaMotta and Macias. I believe their intention was clear. I have confidence that if not for the actions of the Philadelphia Police Department and their federal partners that they would have committed successfully more heinous crimes," Commissioner Lisa Deeley said.
Commissioner Omar Sabir says the convictions strike a nerve given a little over 150 years ago civil rights activist Octavius Catto was assassinated on election day.
"What was interesting about it is that the men who assassinated him went to trial and were acquitted although there was six eyewitnesses," Sabir said.
Krasner says to let these recent convictions serve as a warning as primary election day is quickly approaching.
"You come to Philadelphia to mess with our votes we got a pair of handcuffs, we got a jail cell, we got a trial, and we got a conviction for you," Krasner said.
The two were found guilty of two gun charges but were cleared of election interference offenses. Sentencing is set for December.