CBS Chicago published August 11, 2021: Illinois Man Sentenced To Nearly 9 Years In 2020 Riot Case. A downstate Illinois man has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for setting a cellphone store on fire in Minneapolis during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd by police there. The same man, Matthew Lee Rupert, 29, was arrested in Chicago and accused of trying to cause further "damage" shortly afterward.
CBS Chicago published June 1, 2020: 'Let's Start A Riot,' Man Now Facing Charges Said. Matthew Lee Rupert was arrested in Chicago Sunday after he traveled to Minneapolis last week with several explosive devices, which, federal agents say, he passed out to other protesters there. Police say he had returned from Minnesota over the weekend and was planning to participate in civil unrest in Chicago. CBS 2's Jim Williams reports.
CWBChicago published June 2, 2020:Matthew Rupert Minneapolis riots #2. A segment of Facebook Live stream from the May 2020 Minneapolis riots that federal prosecutors are using to charge Matthew Rupert with possessing explosives and inciting a riot.
CWBChicago published April 7, 2021: Matthew Rupert sets fire to Sprint store. Matthew Rupert live-streamed this footage of him setting fire to a Minneapolis Sprint store during riots in May 2020. Rupert has pleaded guilty to a federal arson charge.
Breaking: Matthew Rupert, 29, of Galesburg, Ill., has been sentenced to nearly 9 years in federal prison after being convicted for his role in the Minneapolis BLM-Antifa riots last year. He handed out explosives & set a store on fire. This is the longest sentence for a BLM rioter pic.twitter.com/Waj0vt4kXf
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2021
Convicted #BLM arsonist Matthew Lee Rupert drove more than 400 miles from Illinois to riot in Minneapolis on 28 May, 2020. In addition to handing out shell explosives to rioters, he doused lighter fluid over a pile of boxes inside a store & set it on fire. https://t.co/VxqpeCeynR
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2021
U.S. Dept of Justice
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS – An Illinois man was sentenced today to 105 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for setting fire to a cell phone store in Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.
According to court documents, on May 28, 2020, Matthew Lee Rupert, 29, a resident of Galesburg, Illinois, posted messages on his Facebook account referencing the public protests occurring in the Twin Cities following the death of George Floyd, including one that stated, “I’m going to Minneapolis tomorrow who coming only goons I’m renting hotel rooms.” On May 29, 2020, Rupert broadcast a Facebook Live video indicating that he was in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Rupert announced that he came “to riot,” and is depicted handing out artillery-shell fireworks, encouraging violence against law enforcement officers, actively damaging property, breaking into buildings, and looting businesses.
According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, the video also depicts Rupert asking for lighter fluid before entering a boarded-up Sprint store located on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis. Rupert canvassed the store and eventually entered a backroom while telling others that he had located a store safe. Rupert and others then knocked several boxes into a pile on the ground. Rupert doused the pile of boxes with lighter fluid and then directed another individual—at the time a juvenile—to light the pile on fire. Rupert fled the building and stated, “I lit it on fire!” The store sustained significant damage as a result of the fire.
“Matthew Rupert chose to drive more than 400 miles from his home in Illinois to Minnesota to engage in violence and destruction, all while broadcasting it for the world to see. Peaceful protest was not on his agenda,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Arson, looting, property damage, and the glorification of it, will not be tolerated. Today, justice has caught up with Mr. Rupert as he must now account for his crimes.”
“Today, we count yet another violent offender as held to account for his reckless and deliberate damage to our community,” said Michael Paul, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis field office. “Mr. Rupert made his way to Minneapolis for the express purpose of instigating lawless behavior on our local streets. He demonstrated no purpose other than endangering peaceful protests by actively encouraging violence against law enforcement and personally destroying community businesses. Together with our local partners, FBI Minneapolis and ATF St. Paul continue to hold indifferent criminals like Mr. Rupert accountable for their dangerous and divisive criminal conduct in the Twin Cities.”
“Arson is a dangerous act of violence,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jon Ortiz, St. Paul Field Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF). “Arson poses a great threat to public safety. ATF works diligently to secure public safety. The defendant in this case committed a reckless act of violence on unsuspecting members of this community. We are thankful that no one was seriously injured or killed as a result of this crime. This sentencing will send a message to anyone who considers conducting these types of violent acts that they will not be tolerated. ATF will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that this community remains a safe place.”
This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Minneapolis Field Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the FBI Chicago Field Office, the FBI Springfield Field Office, and the Chicago Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angela M. Munoz and Jordan L. Sing.
Judge Nancy Brasel hands 8yr, 9mo sentence to Illinois man who set fire to Sprint store during 2020 Mpls riot. Sentence for Matthew Lee Rupert, 29, of Galesburg is longest so far in federal arson cases from unrest that followed G. Floyd murder.
— Matt Sepic (@msepic) August 10, 2021
Judge cited Rupert’s extensive criminal history & his 2-hour livestream of the destruction he created. “You caused great damage to the Minneapolis community already reeling from the death of George Floyd,” Brasel said.
— Matt Sepic (@msepic) August 10, 2021
Judge Brasel added that Rupert also “caused great damage to the cause of peaceful protest everywhere,” and to “democracy itself.”
— Matt Sepic (@msepic) August 10, 2021
Man who live-streamed hours of footage as he set fires and rioted in the Loop and Minneapolis is going to federal prison for 105 months. "Best thing I ever did in my life," Matthew Rupert said in one video that would later be used as evidence against him.https://t.co/IzAVU4LUk4
— CWBChicago (@CWBChicago) August 11, 2021
CBS News, Chicago/Minnesota local
written by Staff
Thursday August 12, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS (CBS Chicago/CBS Minnesota) — A downstate Illinois man has been sentenced to nearly nine years in prison for setting a cellphone store on fire in Minneapolis during the unrest following the murder of George Floyd by police there.
The same man, Matthew Lee Rupert, 29, was arrested in Chicago and accused of trying to cause further “damage” shortly afterward.
Court documents said on May 28, 2020, Rupert – of Galesburg – posted messages on his Facebook account referencing the protest that happened following the murder of George Floyd by Officer Derek Chauvin. One of them said, “I’m going to Minneapolis tomorrow who coming only goons I’m renting hotel rooms,” prosecutors said.
The following day, Rupert broadcast a video on Facebook Live from Minneapolis, in which he announced he had come to that city to “riot” and was seen handing out artillery-shell fireworks while calling for violence against police and for actively looting and damaging property, prosecutors said.
The video also shows Rupert asking for lighter fluid and then going into a boarded-up Sprint store on Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis – where he knocked over several boxes and piled them onto the floor, doused them with lighter fluid, and directed someone else to set them on fire. The fire seriously damaged the building, prosecutors said.
“Matthew Rupert chose to drive more than 400 miles from his home in Illinois to Minnesota to engage in violence and destruction, all while broadcasting it for the world to see. Peaceful protest was not on his agenda,” Acting Minnesota U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Arson, looting, property damage, and the glorification of it, will not be tolerated. Today, justice has caught up with Mr. Rupert as he must now account for his crimes.”
Rupert was charged with causing civil disorder, rioting, and possession of unregistered explosive devices on June 1 of 2020. He pleaded guilty in April of this year.
He was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Rupert is also charged separately with traveling to Chicago a couple of days later to participate in civil unrest.
On Saturday, May 30, 2020, Rupert posted on Facebook that he was traveling to Chicago to “loot ’til 2:30,” according to the complaint. Early the following morning, he posted more video showing him in Chicago, saying, “Let’s start a riot” and “I am going to do some damage.”
He is seen on video in the vicinity of Dearborn and Van Buren streets around 12:21 a.m. that morning. At one point, he goes into a looted convenience store near Plymouth Court and Ida B. Wells Drive and stuffs merchandise into his backpack, according to the complaint.
Rupert was arrested at 2:21 a.m. on May 31, 2020, for violating Chicago’s emergency curfew order that was in effect in the wake of the unrest. Law enforcement officers searched Rupert’s vehicle and recovered several destructive devices, a hammer, a heavy-duty flashlight, and cash.
At CBS 2 following Rupert’s arrest, we listened to much of the audio on the Rupert Facebook Live feeds. We heard lots about stealing, destroying, and burning things, but we didn’t hear anything about George Floyd or concerns about injustice.
No comments:
Post a Comment