A letter from  my husband Roberto Minuta

My name is Roberto Minuta. I am among the first Americans to be convicted of Seditious Conspiracy in history. If you are reading this, I am in Federal Prison. Needless to say, this is a result of Jan 6th. I am a father to 2 children (7 and 9) and husband to my beautiful, supportive wife Gissela. A few weeks ago, I was sentenced to 4.5 years in federal prison. Certainly not thrilled about it, but the government threatened life in prison + 22 years per felony conviction if I did not take their plea deal. Sick! My wife and I made the decision long ago that we would not bend a knee and lie, saying I did something that I certainly did not do. After losing at trial, the government set their guidelines at 17 years, so we’re counting our Blessings for the outcome of 4.5 years. The road has been long, and absolutely devastating in many ways. Unfortunately, the (Legal) fight is not even close to over. I have a pending civil lawsuit from Washington DC, and the judicial journey continues with the Appeal process. The District of Columbia is suing me for an undisclosed amount, and we are still going to have to pay Attourney fees to defend ourselves in civil court.

This appeal will become a landmark case. Among the convictions to be appealed is the same charge Donald Trump was federally indicted with, 18 U.S. Code § 1512, which carries up to 20 years by itself. The precedent set with this charge, coupled with Seditious Conspiracy is frightening for the future of our country, and needs to be fought in the appellate court with fervor. 

I am the sole provider for my wife and children. I have been unable to provide for the past 9 months, and it will be years before I will be able to contribute to my family financially. If you are reading this, my wife Gissela has now assumed the role of sole provider for our family. One of my gravest concerns is my wife and children, and the added stress brought on by being a new single mom. I pray that they will be blessed with a financial buffer to ease their struggles. 

I have spent my life savings defending liberty in the federal court system. I have been cancelled from every financial platform long before my conviction, banned from all social media, placed on a terrorist list. I have lost the most sacred of rights, the right to vote, and the 2nd amendment. What is it to be an American without these freedoms? Worst of all, my family has been torn apart. My children are traumatized from full force FBI raids, ripping them away from their mother, isolating them alone in a room, and questioned by the FBI. I assure you, they are forever impacted from this. For years, my kids have been asking me “Dad, when will you be free again?” How do you even answer that? What heinous atrocity did I commit to bring this pain on my family and others? I was not violent, I was not destructive, I did not bring any weapons nor was I aware of any weapons brought by others, I did not even force my way into the Capitol. I followed the police into the building, behind a long line of 10 or more officers led by none other than the heroic Tarik Johnson. I and others knew that they were trying to get officers OUT of the building. I know this because an officer told me feet from the Columbus Doors! I approached the doors, and I was given permission to enter by the police guarding the open doors. He literally grabbed my arm and pulled me in.

 Once inside, I saw officers stuck inside the rotunda. I propped myself against the rotunda door, keeping it open, and yelled “Get these cops out of here, get em out… LET THEM OUT!”. People began to exit, but an officer struck someone in the face/neck area and everything instantly descended into chaos. I was swept into the rotunda for a matter of seconds. I forced my way out, exited the Capitol after a grand total of 4 min 30 sec in the building. Thats it! When you do the math, I received 1 year in federal prison for each minute spent inside the Capitol. 4.5 minutes = 4.5 years in Federal Prison. 

Let's set aside the prison time, and focus on the charges; specifically Seditious conspiracy. If you look at my conduct that day, it is equivalent to many others that pled guilty to trespassing, possibly illegally picketing or parading in the Capitol. Misdemeanors, not 20 year felonies + terrorism enhancements! How did this happen you might wonder? What evidence led to my conviction? Facebook rants. Facebook rants about Government corruption. Inherently, I would discuss the 2nd amendment and debate the reasons for its inception. Protected speech under the 1st amendment. Expressing my views, and citing the Constitution and Bill Of Rights justified Sedition and Terrorism. What about the burden of proof, isn’t “Beyond a reasonable doubt” a very high standard? No. The jury thought… that I thought I agreed to a plan. A plan that Government witnesses admitted over and over did not exist. Thought crime, no evidence. 

This can not be the new president for application of these charges, it is incredibly dangerous to have case law that allows the DOJ to bring such charges. The potential for continued abuse of these laws is frightening. The law must be applied equally, and if this is true for the charges I am convicted of, there would be hundreds of thousands of my adversaries labeled as Domestic Terrorists facing decades in prison right now.  

We humbly come before you as a family, seeking assistance with the costs of fighting this mountain of an uphill battle. We have been fighting this legal battle for 2.5 years, and there is still a long way to go. We (Americans) are at the crossroads of history, the fate of America is uncertain to say the least. There is an opportunity for you to take a legal stand against a dangerous precedent that has recently been established. The archaic law of Seditious Conspiracy drafted under Abraham Lincoln, as well as other novel laws being applied broadly to the people of this country must be appealed. Before I am able, I appeal to you, the people of America to assist and pray in this time of need. I appeal to Heaven, that the Father would intervene and restore our country, my freedom. An appeal to Heaven that injustice would be dealt with in the heavenly realms, and applied in our fallen world. The Lord Jesus will fill us with peace, strength, and courage that can only come from Him to weather this storm. Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for your prayers and contributions, God Bless.