Teen Capitol riot suspect begs judge to go home

• The youngest suspect charged in the Capitol riots wrote a letter begging a judge to release him.
• Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, previously boasted on Instagram of storming the Capitol and fighting inside.
• “I am completely humbled , deeply remoursefull and regretful! [sic],” Cua wrote.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

A Georgia teenager who boasted on Instagram about storming the Capitol in January begged a federal judge to release him ahead of his trial, saying his social media posts were “foolish” and that he had learned a “very painful” lesson.

Bruno Joseph Cua, 18, faces a slew of federal charges related to the January 6 insurrection, including assault on a federal officer, engaging in physical violence, violent entry or disorderly conduct, and civil disorder. He has pleaded not guilty, and a judge refused to release him on bond last month.

In a letter to Judge Randolph Moss filed March 4, Cua pleaded for the judge to show mercy and allow him to return home to his family before he stands trial in the spring. Cua apologized and said his actions didn’t reflect the person he is.

“I would like to strongly assure you that I am not a danger to anyone, and I will absolutely never act on what I said. I have yearned to speak with you, to truthfully apoloigize [sic] and show you my forever changed heart,” he wrote.

He continued: “I will never be the same person, jail has had its full effect me, I am completely humbled , deeply remoursefull and regretful!. After all, thats what jail is for right? Teaching people a lesson? Lesson fully received, your Honor.”

Cua also said he had spent over two weeks in isolation, and noted that he had never been away from his parents for this length of time.

“I have completely lost those aggressive feelings and moved on from the entire politcal idea. I was wrong,” Cua wrote.

An ‘impressionable eighteen-year-old kid’

Cua is believed to be the youngest suspect charged in the Capitol siege. His lawyers have emphasized his age and relative immaturity in their requests for the judge to release him on bond.

“Bruno Cua is an impressionable eighteen-year-old kid,” his lawyers wrote in one court filing. “In many ways, he is less of an ‘adult’ than many other teenagers. He has never lived away from his parents. he has lived his entire life in the area immediately surrounding Atlanta, Georgia.”

The lawyers added that Cua was “very scared and very remorseful,” and “wholly regrets his action on January 6 and fully recognizes the utmost seriousness of the charges.”

But prosecutors have painted Cua as a violent, active participant in the siege. The criminal complaint shows multiple screenshots pointing out Cua’s positions in the Capitol building, and even the Senate chamber.

Screengrabs from the complaint show Cua holding what appeared to be a baton, and shoving a US Capitol police officer in plainclothes.

The complaint also accused Cua of bragging about violence that day, posting an Instagram story saying, “Yes, we physically fought our way in.” Other posts from Cua’s alleged Parler account said, “President Trump is calling us to FIGHT” and that January 6 was when Trump supporters had to “make our stand.”

“It’s time to take our freedom back the old fashioned way,” another Parler post said.

According to an Insider database, Cua is just one of more than 310 people who have been charged in the Capitol siege as of early March.