Costa Mesa Man Charged In Jan. 6 Capitol Riots

COSTA MESA, CA — Costa Mesa resident Christian Alexander Secor, 24, was charged for his part in the insurgency at the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, disrupting the joint session of congress on the day the electoral college votes would certify a new president.

Secor has been charged with obstructing an official proceeding, federal court records show. He faces 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty on May 19 in Washington D.C., according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office.

Court documents stated that on Nov. 3 2020, the day of the 2020 election, Secor sent a text message saying, “We’re gonna win bigly and if we don’t we’re taking this ship down in flames.”

According to court documents, Secor also messaged another person on Jan. 5, 2021, saying that he "brought a gas mask" to Washington and that he "wouldn't be surprised if conservatives just storm the police and clobber antifa and the police but that's wishful thinking."

Prosecutors said that on the day of the Capitol Riots, Secor marched to the Capitol carrying a large blue flag. At about 2 p.m., Secor was in a mob of rioters illegally on restricted Capitol grounds, prosecutors said.

Shortly after, Secor reportedly climbed scaffolding to reach the Upper West Terrace of the building. He entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door at about 2:26 p.m., roughly 13 minutes after the door was initially breached by rioters, reports said.

According to court documents, Secor entered the Senate chamber at around 2:42 p.m. and sat in the seat that had been occupied by former Vice President Mike Pence just a half hour earlier.

On the evening of Jan. 6, court documents show that Secor wrote about what took place that day on Twitter, saying, "One day accomplished more for conservatism than the last 30 years."

Secor was arrested on Feb. 16 in Costa Mesa. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. District Attorney's Office. In addition, Secor must pay $2,000 in restitution.