4 Southwest Riverside County Men Convicted In Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

WASHINGTON – Four "Three Percenters" from Southwest Riverside County were found guilty Tuesday of charges related to their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.

Erik Scott Warner, 48, of Menifee, Felipe Antonio Martinez, 50, of Lake Elsinore, Derek Kinnison, 42, of Lake Elsinore, and Ronald Mele, 54, of Temecula were all convicted of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding — both felony offenses — following a 17-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth.

Warner and Kinnison were also convicted of tampering with documents or proceedings, a felony.

In addition to the felony convictions, all four were also found guilty of misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

Lamberth will sentence the four at a date to be determined. The sentences will come after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

In the weeks and months prior to Jan. 6, 2021, the men — all of whom were alleged members of Southern California's Three Percenter right-wing militia group — coordinated and conspired together to arrange travel from California to Washington, D.C., to attend a “Stop the Steal” rally in support of Donald Trump and to protest Congress’ certification of the Electoral College.

Among other methods of communication, the men used a Telegram chat called “The California Patriots – DC Brigade” to coordinate logistics and discuss their strategies for Jan. 6, prosecutors alleged.

On Jan. 6, 2021, the four Riverside County men first attended the Ellipse rally in which Trump addressed the crowd. Afterward, they headed toward the Capitol, according to prosecutors.

As the four men approached the building at approximately 2 p.m., Kinnison announced, “This is the storm of the Capitol." By approximately 2:10 p.m., Warner was joining rioters ascending the northwest stairs to the Capitol's Upper West Terrace, a spot police were defending moments earlier, prosecutors alleged.

At the same time, Martinez, Kinnison, and Mele advanced on a police line on the northwest lawn. Mele called out for the crowd to “Push! Push! Push!” as the officers were surrounded, according to the evidence presented by the prosecutors.

At approximately 2:13 p.m., Warner broke into the Capitol building through a smashed window. When Martinez, Kinnison, and Mele heard by phone that their cohort was inside, they went to join him, according to the prosecutors.

As they ascended the northwest stairs, Mele shot a selfie video, in which he proclaimed, “Storm the Capitol.” The four, who all breached the building, were wearing plate carriers and other tactical gear while carrying cans of bear spray, according to the prosecution.

In the days and weeks following Jan. 6, Warner and Kinnison deleted the DC Brigade Telegram chat from their cell phones "to conceal their involvement" from investigators, prosecutors said.

The case against the four Riverside County men was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

In the 34 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,200 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach, including more than 400 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Kinnison, Martinez, Melee and Warner represent the last of the Riverside County residents charged and convicted for actions on Jan. 6.

In January, 46-year-old Andrew Alan Hernandez of Jurupa Valley was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after admitting a charge of aiding and abetting in the obstruction of an official proceeding. Security surveillance camera images from inside the halls of Congress and published in court documents showed him carrying an American flag with a Go-Pro camera attached to the pole and snapping selfies, alongside some others who appeared to be peaceful.

In October 2022, Rafael Valadez Jr., 44, of Indio, admitted a misdemeanor count of picketing in the Capitol Building and was sentenced to 30 days behind bars. Valadez stood in front of a senator's office, using his camera phone to videotape people going in and out. He left the building after 25 minutes, according to federal investigators.

In March 2022, Kevin Strong, 47, of Wildomar, admitted the same offense and was sentenced to 24 months' probation. Photos submitted to the court showed Strong following a crowd through the Statuary Hall corridor, where he took pictures, spoke to a group of police officers watching protesters, then left.