SEATTLE — The last defendant facing federal charges for crimes committed during the racial justice protests of 2020 in Seattle was sentenced on Wednesday to just over three years in prison.
Justin Moore, 35 of Renton, previously pleaded guilty to possessing destructive devices.
On Sept. 7, 2020, Moore brought 12 Molotov cocktails made from beer bottles and gasoline to the Seattle Police Officers Guild headquarters during a protest. Surveillance video shows a hooded and masked Moore lugging the explosives outside the headquarters, which was the target of numerous attacks during the 2020 protests.
A total of 22 people were arrested during the protest outside the guild headquarters.
Moore never ignited his explosives.
"Possessing explosives is a serious crime, but when you're doing that as cover when thousands of people are doing a lawful protest, that is what made this crime so particularly serious," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said.
Prosecutors said Moore coordinated with Jacob Greenburg and Danielle McMillan. Jacob Greenburg, the stepson of former Kirkland State Rep. Laura Ruderman, was previously sentenced to five years in prison for charges of first-degree assault, first-degree attempted arson and first-degree reckless burning. Danielle McMillan was previously sentenced to 12 months of community service for the charge of first-degree attempted arson.
On Wednesday, Moore spoke in court. The Marine veteran said, "I love my country and I hate when she's in pain. I started protesting in the spirit of alleviating that pain. Instead I failed miserable. I'm deeply sorry."
After the protest violence in 2020, federal agents and Seattle police had to start from scratch to identify suspects from surveillance camera footage and social media.
“They were very difficult cases to solve. It really came down to evidence of identity,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said.
Antifa and Black Lives Matter were sometimes blamed for the violence surrounding the protests. But after 12 federal prosecutions, authorities have seen no evidence of large-scale organization by any of the criminals.
“There was not one large group dictating all this activity,” said Todd Greenberg.
Because Moore participated in an attack and vandalism on a Starbucks store months later, a judge sentenced him to 40 months.
There were 62 protest-related criminal cases filed in King County Court linked to the 2020 public demonstration cases. Of the total cases, 43 were resolved. Ten cases are on bench warrant status, seven are in pre-trial or hearings, one is awaiting sentencing and one additional case has been continued and could be dismissed if the defendant complies.