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Avery MacCracken, above in surveillance video taken during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, is also seen right at a Black Lives Matter rally in downtown Montrose, Colorado, on June 6, 2020. (William Woody, Special to the Colorado Sun)
A Telluride man pleaded guilty in federal court Friday afternoon to a felony for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Avery Carter MacCracken pleaded guilty to civil disorder, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, a $250,000 fine and supervised release up to three years, according to court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Under a plea agreement, the court dropped five other charges, including assault for punching a police officer who was protecting the Capitol, court records show.
A judge scheduled MacCracken’s sentencing hearing for February.
In a statement of offense, MacCracken said he flew from Montrose to Washington to support former President Donald Trump and protest the results of the 2020 election. With his hands balled into fists, MacCracken said he pushed toward the line of police officers guarding the building and pushed a police officer’s arm.
He said he grabbed another officer by the arm and then his jacket, near his shoulder, who was trying to stop him, court documents stated.
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MacCracken was arrested near the ski resort town in December 2021 after a Telluride resident recognized him in photos on the website Sedition Hunters and as a suspect being sought by the FBI, according to court documents. The resident shared the tip with the local sheriff, who also identified the man in the photos as MacCracken, known to officers as a resident who sometimes lived out of his car.
Based on his prior criminal history, authorities estimated his sentence to be between eight and 14 months and a fine between $4,000 to $40,000, court documents stated.
Under the plea agreement, MacCracken agreed to be interviewed by federal investigators about the events on Jan. 6 and allow them to review his social media accounts for posts made when hundreds of people stormed the Capitol.
Footage from an officer’s body-worn camera showed MacCracken, then 68, punching an officer who was part of a line protecting the U.S. Capitol and shoving and pushing a second officer in the line.
His attorneys did not immediately emails requesting comment.
MacCracken is one of more than a dozen Coloradans who have been charged for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riots. Some of them have been sentenced, while others await trial.
Olivia Prentzel covers breaking news and a wide range of other important issues impacting Coloradans for The Colorado Sun, where she has been a staff writer since 2021. At The Sun, she has covered wildfires, criminal justice, the environment,... More by Olivia Prentzel
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