Collier man charged in Jan. 6 Capitol riot waives jury trial, guardian dines with Trump
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As a trial looms for an East Naples man linked to the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection, his legal guardian recently dined with former President Donald Trump.
Trish Priller, legal guardian for Christopher Worrell, 52, was among more than a dozen guests on March 22 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.
The recent visit to Trump's home comes after at least three delays in Worrell's trial. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth recently approved a bench trial for Worrell, leaving his fate in the judge's hands.
Court records indicate a new trial date hasn't yet been set.
Worrell's case previously had been tagged with several delays related to the release of his medical records.
Worrell's medical complications compromise scheduled trial
Worrell's trial was first scheduled for Nov. 15. Court records indicate the court postponed that trial date by nearly two months after Worrell argued he was medically unable to proceed.
In January, Lamberth wrote that Worrell didn't include medical documents and failed to respond to the government's proposed date with specific arguments that would declare him medically unable to stand trial.
The same day, then-lead attorney in the case, Alex Reed Stavrou, of Tampa-based Alex R. Stavrou Law Office, filed a motion to withdraw from the case. Lamberth approved that motion.
Worrell is accused of attacking police officers with pepper spray gel during the Jan. 6 incident.
Federal agents took Worrell into custody in March 2021.
A video aired during the June 9 hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee, one of a number that have been aired, appeared to show Worrell and others accused of storming the building, attacking police officers, breaking building windows and wreaking other damage at the Capitol.
Worrell's segment in the House committee's 11-minute-and-18-second video ran about 10 to 12 seconds.
In the segment, a man identified as Worrell says, "We are on your side," "Don't make us go against you," and "These are our streets."
Worrell is a self-proclaimed member of The Proud Boys, a far-right, neo-fascist group that advocates for and participates in politically motivated violent events.
Worrell pleaded not guilty to all the original charges. He faces 19 counts, with those in original indictment including:
Civil disorder
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon,
Act of physical violence in the capitol building or grounds, and
Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon.
As of mid-March, at least 975 people were charged with federal crimes for their roles in the riot — 502 have pleaded guilty and 382 have been sentenced. Of those, at least 192 people have received prison sentences.
Worrell is among at least 111 Florida residents charged in connection with the mob.
The FBI continues to investigate hundreds of additional individuals.
Worrell's girlfriend and court-approved custodian Priller, 52, who used to work for the Naples Daily News, said Worrell remains under a curfew while living at home.
Worrell's guardian among a dozen dining with Trump
Priller was among at least 13 guests dining with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on March 22, she said.
Those invited included families of others involved in the insurrection, Priller said. Trump played "Justice For All" — a song featuring others involved in the mob ― and spoke with the families.
Priller said Worrell was in the Washington, D.C., "gulag" and sang along with other prisoners when that song was recorded in 2021.
Why was Trump at Mar-a-Lago?
It's unclear why Trump was at residence at Mar-a-Lago.
Just two days earlier, Trump announced he expected his arrest March 21 in connection with a Manhattan district attorney investigation.
Trump's advisers made clear they had no specific knowledge of the timing of any possible indictment, even as the former president made the comments on Truth Social, the social media network he founded.
Trump is under investigation for a $130,000 payment he made just before the 2016 election to silence adult film star Stormy Daniels about an earlier affair. The former president has denied wrongdoing, and federal investigators ended their own inquiry into the payments in 2019.
Worrell faces recent health complications
"As far as the delay for the trial, Chris was brought by ambulance to the hospital as he passed out and hit his head on the bathroom counter and then again on the tile floor at church," Priller wrote in a March 28 text message to The News-Press, adding that he was hospitalized twice in March.
Priller wrote that Worrell had a procedure done at the hospital and a loop implanted to monitor his heart. He stayed in the hospital for a week, she added.
"After being released for four days he was admitted again to the hospital for more testing and stayed in for another week," Priller wrote. "He was released again and has been put on medical restrictions by the doctors."
Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: East Naples man charged in Jan. 6 riot seeks bench trial
