Duluth resident John David Ross Gould is the latest Georgian to plead guilty to a charge relating to Jan. 6. 2021, U.S. Capitol riots.
Gould, 45, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for illegally demonstrating inside of the Capitol, which could carry a six-month prison sentence and up to $5,500 in penalties.
His sentencing is scheduled for April of 2023.
According to the AJC, Gould allegedly took a picture of himself in front of a mirror wearing a white cowboy hat and sent the photo in a text message asking “Can you see me in the mirror?” to his coworker Jonathan Davis Laurens.
During a hearing Monday in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C, Gould confirmed that the photo was of him.
Gould was arrested in March of this year but had been on the watch of federal authorities since the summer of 2021 when he went to Laurens’ apartment to find out why he had not shown up for work that day.
When Gould arrived at the home, he found Laurens speaking with the FBI. According to court records, Laurens told the agents that he and Gould had entered the Capitol together.
Laurens pleaded guilty in February to a misdemeanor charge for entering the Capitol and was sentenced in June to two months of house arrest along with a year of probation.
Prosecutors said photos and security camera footage showed both Laurens and Gould walking with other rioters who stormed the Capitol.
Gould is the 16th defendant with Georgia ties to plead guilty.
