Memphis man accused in Capitol riot believed QAnon, that elected officials would be executed, attorney says – Commercial Appeal

Matthew Bledsoe, a Memphis man arrested on federal charges following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, will remain attached to a GPS ankle monitor after a federal judge denied his request to have his release conditions modified.

Bledsoe, 36, was arraigned in the Washington D.C. district court Friday via video-link from Memphis. He faces four misdemeanor charges: entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and rioting, demonstrating, and picketing in a Capitol building.

Bledsoe pleaded not guilty to all four charges.

Bledsoe was arrested on Jan. 15, after FBI agents learned of his alleged crimes at the Capitol. He was released on his own recognizance shortly after his arrest. 

Some of the evidence that alerted FBI agents to Bledsoe’s actions in Washington D.C. came directly from Bledsoe. He posted multiple still images and video clips of the riot from a since-deleted account bearing his full name, @theessentialmattbledsoe. 

But D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell appeared more concerned with evidence presented by U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter in the form of recovered text messages Bledsoe sent to his wife in the days following the Jan. 6 riot. Prosecutors presented the texts to Howell Friday.

One text, sent on Jan. 10 from Bledsoe to his wife stated, “They are all going to be executed,” referring to elected officials. In another text, Bledsoe’s wife said, “There’s a bomb threat at the Capitol.” Bledsoe responded, “Good.”

The judge said she weighed the severity of texts Bledsoe sent to his wife against the defense’s request to have the conditions of his bail modified. 

 “I take that very seriously,” the judge said, referring to the texts. 

Bledsoe’s D.C.-based attorney, Jerry Smith, attempted to dispute the seriousness of the texts, and stated they were not to be translated as intended actions on Bledsoe’s part, but instead should be considered as expressions of his belief in the QAnon conspiracy.

A core tenant of the QAnon conspiracy theory is the belief that many elected government officials are involved in a child sex-trafficking ring, and under former President Donald Trump’s leadership, will be tried and executed for their crimes.

“Your honor, I’m sure, has some familiarity with the QAnon conspiracy,” Smith said.

“I do not,” the judge replied. “I deal with facts. Not fantasies.” 

Smith told the judge the belief that high-level officials will be executed is a fairly common one among QAnon believers. Smith did not describe to what extent Bledsoe believes in the conspiracy. 

“And so Mr. Bledsoe is a believer in that?” the judge shot back. “That is supposed to give me comfort?”

Bledsoe’s attorney said he did not personally endorse the view, and attempted to reiterate the defense’s stance that Bledsoe’s texts to his wife should be taken with the full context of his belief in QAnon.

“I think people who believe in QAnon conspiracies, when they appear in court, will experience reality,” the judge said.

Ultimately, the judge said Bledsoe’s conduct was too serious to ignore and cited allegations from the complaint: that Bledsoe had joined a mob that stormed the Capitol and made videos of himself. 

The judge denied Bledsoe’s request to modify the conditions of his release and drop the requirement that he must wear a GPS monitoring device on his ankle. The device, his lawyer said, posed a risk to his business if it was exposed to a client. 

The judge was not swayed, and said, “I have to say Mr. Smith, I give you an ‘A’ for effort in minimizing the possible risk of danger the defendant poses by expressing his belief in a QAnon theory.”

Bledsoe will appear in court again in March, after prosecutors have time to present all evidence against Bledsoe to federal court. 

The amount of evidence gathered by federal agents and prosecutors, the prosecuting attorney said, “is voluminous. They are having to physically ship it from Memphis.”

Micaela Watts is a reporter with The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

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