Federal sentencing postponed for El Paso man charged in deadly Capitol riot

The federal sentencing of an El Paso man who pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer and participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol by former President Donald Trump supporters was delayed indefinitely, federal court records show.

David Rene Arredondo, 48, was set to be sentenced about 1:30 p.m. MST Friday, May 3, in Washington, D.C., but the sentencing hearing was postponed indefinitely, court records show. Federal court records state the hearing was postponed "to a date to be determined" because a new probation report needs to be submitted. No further information was released.

Arredondo remains out of jail on a personal recognizance bond, also known as a PR bond, court records show. A PR bond is when a defendant is released from jail without having to post bail as long as the defendant agrees to and abides by several conditions set by a judge. Court records do not state what conditions were set for Arredondo.

The sentencing hearing was scheduled before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington, D.C.

Arredondo pleaded guilty Jan. 3 to eight charges as part of a plea agreement. The charges are:

• Civil disorder

• Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers

• Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds

• Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds

• Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds

• Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building

• Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings

• Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building

Arredondo's maximum sentence is eight years in prison on the assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers charge.

More: El Paso man to be sentenced for role in Jan 6. Capitol riot in Washington DC

U.S. Attorney's Office federal prosecutors are seeking for Arredondo to be sentenced to at least three years and four months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after he serves his prison term, a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors stated.

Arredondo's attorneys, federal public defenders Andrew Steed and John Phillip Calhoun, could not be immediately reached for comment. Both were in Washington, D.C., for the sentencing hearing, federal public defender officials said.

Public defenders ask for lenient sentence; prosecutors argue Arredondo is career criminal

Arredondo's attorneys are asking for their client to receive a sentence similar to other rioters who have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced. They claim the average sentence for those previously convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 riot was 180 days in federal prison.

The attorneys argue Arredondo grew up in a difficult neighborhood that impacted his youth, resulting in him joining a violent street gang, a defendant's memorandum stated. They claim Arredondo is a reformed gang member who changed his life around for the better. They added he is a good husband and father to his two daughters.

"Mr. Arredondo made a life he was proud of, despite the hardship he came from," the defendant's memorandum stated. "For decades Mr. Arredondo stayed out of trouble and took care of his family. While he is deeply ashamed of his actions on January 6th, Mr. Arredondo was not nearly as violent as others charged with the same or similar offenses."

Federal prosecutors claim Arredondo is a career criminal and his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, showed he remains a danger to society.

More: El Paso man accused of assaulting police in Jan. 6 Capitol riot freed on bond

"Based on Arredondo's violent past, his crimes on January 6 were not an isolated event in an otherwise law-abiding life," U.S. Attorney's Office officials said in the sentencing memorandum. "Arredondo's willingness to commit serious offenses now, at the age of 48, is particularly concerning since his prior convictions and sentences failed to serve as deterrents. Arredondo's violent past weigh in favor of a lengthy term of incarceration."

Arredondo was previously convicted of several violent crimes in El Paso, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, deadly conduct, discharge firearm and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon while already serving a prison sentence. The convictions were between 1994 to 2002. The maximum sentence he received in those cases was 10 years in prison.

Assault of an officer during a Capitol riot

Arredondo was accused of pushing a bike rack fence against police officers trying to keep rioters from entering a plaza outside the Capitol, U.S. Attorney's Office officials said. As the large mob broke the barrier, Arredondo was part of a group that rushed the Capitol.

He assaulted a police officer by grabbing the officer's hand as the officer was trying to stop rioters from entering the Capitol doors, a federal complaint affidavit states.

Arredondo also was captured on surveillance video grabbing the arm of the another police officer who was trying to keep a door to the Capitol shut. Arredondo was "attempting to pull the officer away from the door in an apparent effort to facilitate the entry of other rioters into the Capitol," the affidavit states.

He was seen on video walking through the hall of the Capitol and chanting with other rioters, the affidavit states. Arredondo illegally stayed inside the Capitol for less than 40 minutes.

FBI El Paso agents were able to identify Arredondo through surveillance videos and interviews with a witness. Agents also executed a search warrant and found geolocation information showing that a cellphone linked to Arredondo was present at the U.S. Capitol during the riot, the affidavit states.

More: US Rep. Veronica Escobar reflects on Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol one year later

Arredondo was arrested by FBI El Paso agents Oct. 26, 2022, in connection with the riot at his home in the 1200 block of Morgan Marie Street near Rojas Drive and Joe Battle Boulevard in far East El Paso.

Arredondo is the only El Pasoan arrested in connection with the riot, according to a U.S. Attorney's Office database of riot arrests.

Federal law enforcement have arrested more than 1,230 people from across the country and charged them with crimes related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Texas man's federal sentencing in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case postponed