Anti-LGBTQ+ activist and “Straight Pride” organiser Mark Sahady has been indicted concerning his alleged involvement in the January 6 insurrection in the US Capitol during 2021. Sahady is facing multiple charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding – a felony with a maximum sentence of 20 years.
A resident of Malden, Massachusetts, Sahady helped organise the 2019 “Straight Pride” event in Boston. He acts as Vice President of the parade’s organising group, Super Happy Fun America (SHFA), which has several ties to far-right and white nationalist organisations.
The application for the parade permit indicated that the organisers expected up to 2,000 people to join, which was ultimately not the case. The infamous occasion was attended by only a few hundred and was outnumbered by over 1,000 counter-protestors who were said to drown out the anti-queer speeches.
Massachusetts based Trump supporters and insurrectionists Mark Sahady, Brandon Navom and Suzanne Ianni on their way to the Capitol and then inside the capitol. Pretty easy one here.
You might know Mark Sahady from organizing the bigoted Straight Pride Parade last year in Boston pic.twitter.com/zmkV6zBzeF
— Gregg Housh (@GreggHoush) January 9, 2021
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says that Sahady tweeted statements about his belief that current President Joe Biden stole the 2020 presidential election from Donald Trump. Court documents state that Shaday “alleged to have posted several messages prior to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, calling for ‘millions of Americans’ to ‘show up in D.C. on January 6 to support the legitimate president, Donald Trump, and show Democrats what they will be facing if they continue to try and steal the presidency’.”
SHFA was also said to have tweeted in January 2021, “Bus 1 of 11 coming to Washington DC. See you there!” along with a picture of a group that included Sahady. The DOJ says these buses brought 300 people to DC for the Capitol insurrection.
Along with the potential maximum sentence of 20 years, the 48-year-old also faces a fine of up to $250,000. According to the DOJ, the case is being prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division, with assistance from the US Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.
Mark Sahady, of Malden, MA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for obstructing an official proceeding, a felony, for his actions relating to the breach of the U.S. Capitol. Details @USAO_DC: https://t.co/i5w3eN02Re
— FBI Boston (@FBIBoston) April 8, 2023
Since the January 6 insurrection, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested across the 50 US states, and more than 320 people have been charged. The investigation is ongoing.
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