'Walis tambo' man in US Capitol siege pleads guilty for role in attack

WASINGTON DC — The Filipino who brought a walis tambo when protesters breached the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 has pleaded guilty before a US court in connection with the violent incident.

Kene Brian Lazo admitted that he was the protester who wore what looked like a Captain America costume when Trump supporters attacked the US Senate while it was certifying the results of the US presidential elections which Joseph Biden won.

The Filipino said he was a supporter of former President Donald Trump but expressed regret over his participation in the attack which resulted in the deaths of five persons and injury to scores of others.

The Washington D.C. court will sentence Lazo in July after he entered into a plea agreement in connection with cases of misdemeanor.

Lazo, who hails from Ilocos, is expected to be sentenced to six months in prison and pay a $500 fine.

He is also facing a case of sexual battery of a child in Virginia a few months after the incident at the capitol.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Lazo in May 2021 in Norfolk, Virginia.

He was charged with:

• Knowingly Entering or Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
• Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority
• Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds or in a Capitol Building
• Parading, Demonstrating or Picketing in a Capitol Building

The FBI has charged 786 individuals before the US district court in connection with the US Capitol siege. —NB, GMA News