'I am guilty of being an idiot' - a Capitol riot defendant who used stimulus money to get to DC asks judge for leniency ahead of sentencing

• A Colorado Capitol riot defendant called himself "an idiot" for participating in the Capitol riot.
• Glen Wes Lee Croy, 46, wrote an apology to the judge overseeing his case ahead of his sentencing.

A Capitol riot defendant who pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge earlier this year struck a conciliatory tone in a personalized letter to the federal judge overseeing his case ahead of his sentencing next month.

"I am guilty of being an idiot and walking into that building, and again apologize to America and everyone for my role in participating," Glenn Wes Lee Croy, 46, wrote to Chief District Judge Beryl A. Howell.

Croy apologized several times in a series of sentencing memorandum documents reviewed by Insider and first reported on by WUSA.

The Colorado man detailed the circumstances that led to his decision to travel to Washington, DC, to attend the January 6 "Stop the Steal" rally in support of President Donald Trump, including losing his job in the summer of 2020 due to COVID-19.

Croy said he began watching more news than he ever had before and became frustrated with the George Floyd protests and coronavirus restrictions. As the election approached, he said he became more and more concerned about the security of the vote.

When Trump announced the January 6 rally and invited his supporters to attend, Croy said he used some of his unemployment money and saved-up stimulus money to make the journey from Colorado Springs to the nation's capital.

Croy said he followed the crowd throughout the day, eventually ending up inside the Capitol building as police faced off with a mob of rioters.

"I regretfully once again followed the crowd like a lemming," he wrote. "My adrenaline was up and I knew I wasn't supposed to be there but I was in the thick of it by this point."

In his letter, Croy said he was surprised to learn that a woman - Ashli Babbitt - had been shot during the insurrection, and claimed he had no idea how violent the attack was until he later watched an HBO documentary about the riot.

In August, Croy pleaded guilty to one charge of parading inside the Capitol.

Federal investigators say Croy was captured on video and in photos throughout the Capitol, posing for pictures inside the rotunda at the same time Capitol police were trying to usher people back outside.

In a separate sentencing memo, prosecutors requested two months of jail time for Croy.

"He showed no concern for the severity of his actions as he engaged in criminal conduct as if he was on a vacation," prosecutors wrote in legal documents. "Finally, he bragged about and defended his actions to several friends, failing to see the seriousness of his actions."

Croy and his lawyers are requesting he receives probation at his sentencing hearing on November 5, citing his role as the sole caretaker for his two sons, one of whom has diabetes.

An attorney listed for Croy declined to comment.