WASHINGTON — A Texas man and self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys pleaded guilty Tuesday to unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol Building during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Daniel Goodwyn, of Corinth, Texas, appeared before U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton to enter his plea of guilty to one misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop a felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and three other misdemeanor counts. Goodwyn will face an expected guideline range of zero-to-six months in prison at a sentencing hearing on May 31 at 10 a.m.
Goodwyn was arrested in late January 2021 after an associate identified him to the FBI from a livestream recorded inside the Capitol by far-right troll Anthime “Baked Alaska” Gionet. Prosecutors said Gionet identified Goodwyn in the recording as “sfthoughtcriminal,” to which Goodwyn replied that his real name was “Daniel Goodwyn.” Gionet himself was charged in the riot and sentenced earlier this month to 60 days in prison after pleading guilty to one petty misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing.
Investigators identified an Instagram account belonging to Goodwyn on which he’d posted about the riot, including one link to a video of other rioters breaking windows with the caption, “I didn’t break or take anything but I went inside for a couple minutes.” According to charging documents, Goodwyn is also a "self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys" who posted images of the Proud Boys logo with the words “Stand Back, Stand By” emblazoned around it. That phrase was spoken by former President Donald Trump during a 2020 presidential debate and was interpreted as a rallying cry by the group, according to testimony before the January 6th Committee.
Goodwyn was granted bond following his arrest but initially refused to follow masking protocols during pretrial services visits – leading Walton to threaten Goodwyn with loss of his pretrial release. Goodwyn’s attorney at the time, Dan Hull, said he believed his client was on the autism spectrum and that wearing a mask was extremely uncomfortable for him.
After accepting the plea, Walton said Goodwyn appeared to have been "gleeful" on Jan. 6 and to have been "egging on" other rioters. He asked Goodwyn's attorney, Caroline Stewart, why her client wouldn't pose a further risk in the future if his preferred candidate again lost an election.
"I would like to know why I should feel that he doesn't pose a risk to our democracy?" Walton asked.
Stewart said Goodwyn had no intent to obstruct Congress on Jan. 6, but rather traveled to D.C. to support investigations into the 2020 election. Despite saying he had "concerns" about Goodwyn, Walton allowed him to remain on his current conditions of release while he awaits sentencing.
More than 950 defendants have now been charged in connection with the Capitol riot. Of those, approximately 350 defendants have either been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes ranging from parading in a Capitol building to seditious conspiracy.
We're tracking all of the arrests, charges and investigations into the January 6 assault on the Capitol. Sign up for our Capitol Breach Newsletter here so that you never miss an update.