Trial Date Set For Jan. 6 Rioter From Tamarac; Mom Calls Him a 'True Patriot' in Fundraising Pitch

Mason Joel Courson [GiveSendGo]

By Kevin Deutsch

A trial date has been set for Mason Joel Courson, the Tamarac man accused of assaulting law enforcement officers during the Jan 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, court records show.

Meanwhile, Courson’s mother in Weston is raising money for her “true patriot” son through a crowdfunding site. Millions of dollars have been raised on the platform for the Proud Boys and other far-right groups and causes, including the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol.

Courson, 26, will stand trial in Washington, D.C., federal court beginning Sept 25, with jury selection slated to start that day, federal court filings show. Several other accused Capitol rioters are scheduled to go on trial at the same time, the records show.

Federal prosecutors said Courson participated in one of the most violent attacks on police during the failed attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Authorities said he used a police baton to strike a police officer and dragged a second officer down a staircase—then kept the baton as a possible “trophy,” records show.

Courson is charged with offenses that include assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers using a dangerous weapon, inflicting bodily injury, civil disorder, and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, among other federal crimes.

Courson told FBI agents the violent scene on the Capitol grounds was like being in a “war zone” and that he felt like he was engaged in a “battle,” according to the records.

“Despite his ‘Thin Blue Line’ face covering (seemingly showing support for law enforcement), he stated that he felt these officers were not ‘thin blue line’ but rather were traitors,” U.S. Magistrate Judge Jared M. Strauss wrote in a Dec 23, 2021 detention order.

Courson is being held without bond in a Virginia jail.

His mother, Angelica Courson, has launched a fundraiser to cover her son’s personal and legal bills on the Christian fundraising website GiveSendGo, which aims “to share the Hope of Jesus through crowdfunding.”

“My son Mason Courson, like many, went to Washington D.C. on Jan 6, 2021, to stand and listen to his President speak, with no ill intent at all,” Angelica Courson wrote in her fundraising pitch. “Unfortunately, as with many other individuals that day, he found himself in a situation he never imagined. He is currently being held without bond and has lost his ability to support his 2-year-old son, that he had 15 days a month. He is [a] man with a strong Christian faith, an incredible father, son, and brother, and loves his country, believes in freedom, a true patriot as we are all now called.”

“It’s important to try and maintain the [morale] of all these individuals that have been separated from their families while awaiting trial,” Angelica Courson wrote.

The campaign had raised $3,840 as of Sunday, well short of its $50,000 goal.

According to the fundraising site, ten people have donated, including one donor who wrote: “You attempted to support our Country, and for some unexplained reason, our Country has turned its back on you and your family.”

Before the Jan 6 attack, Courson had a criminal history that included several arrests between 2013 and 2018, including busts for battery, grand theft, and resisting arrest without violence.

In the 19 months since Jan 6, 2021, more than 860 people have been arrested in nearly every state for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, including over 260 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

The investigation into the attack remains ongoing.

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Author Profile

Kevin Deutsch

Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.