BLM Rioter Livestreamed Handing Out Explosives And Setting Store On Fire, Faces Years In Prison
For his role in a Black Lives Matter riot in Minneapolis last year, an Illinois man has been sentenced to almost 9 years in federal prison.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the United States Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, Matthew Rupert, 29, of Galesburg, Illinois, will serve 105 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for setting fire to a phone store during the riots following the death of George Floyd.
Breaking: Matthew Rupert, 29, of Galesburg, Ill., has been sentenced to nearly 9 years in federal prison after being convicted for his role in the Minneapolis BLM-Antifa riots last year. He handed out explosives & set a store on fire. This is the longest sentence for a BLM rioter pic.twitter.com/Waj0vt4kXf
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2021
“Matthew Rupert chose to drive more than 400 miles from his home in Illinois to Minnesota to engage in violence and destruction, all while broadcasting it for the world to see. Peaceful protest was not on his agenda,” said Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. “Arson, looting, property damage, and the glorification of it, will not be tolerated. Today, justice has caught up with Mr. Rupert as he must now account for his crimes.”
Rupert entered a boarded-up Sprint shop and instructed others to stack boxes on the ground before dousing them with lighter fluid and lighting them on fire, creating significant damage, according to court documents.
“I lit it on fire!” Rupert screamed as he fled from the scene.
“We come to riot, boy!” Rupert said as he livestreamed several of his violent moves on social media.
In the social media postings, Rupert can be heard stating, “I’ve got some bombs if some of you all want to throw them back.”
Rupert was in possession of a hammer and a heavy-duty flashlight when he was apprehended, according to officials.
According to the Star Tribune, Rupert appeared in federal court in Chicago on Monday, where a judge ordered him transported to Minnesota to face the charges.
The riots that erupted in the aftermath of Floyd’s death is believed to have damaged over $1 billion in property throughout the country.
_______________________________________________
Download ‘The Scoop TV’ video streaming app, the Conservative Alternative to Netflix!
- If you have an iPhone, click here to download the iPhone app from the Apple App Store.
- Or if you have an Android phone, click here to download the Android app from the Google Play Storeh
