Galesburg Register-Mail
Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, of Galesburg pleaded guilty to one count of arson this week before Judge Nancy E. Brasel in U.S. District Court, according to Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk. Rupert was initially charged on June 1, 2020.
A sentencing date will be scheduled later. According to the defendant’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, on May 28, 2020, Rupert, of Galesburg, posted messages on his Facebook account referencing the public protests occurring in the Twin Cities following the death of George Floyd, including one that stated, “I’m going to Minneapolis tomorrow who coming only goons I’m renting hotel rooms.”
Illinois man pleads guilty to arson after traveling to Minneapolis to riot
The 28-year-old recorded himself on Facebook live causing destruction in Minneapolis last summer.
Author:
Knox County Jail
A 28-year-old Illinois man accused of traveling to Minnesota and recording himself on Facebook Live setting fire to a cell phone store during the May 2020 riots has pleaded guilty to arson.
Matthew Lee Rupert of Galesburg, Illinois, pleaded guilty to one count of arson this week in U.S. District Court, a news release says. He ll be sentenced at a later date.
Rupert was charged June 1, 2020, after he shared on Facebook his plans to travel to Minneapolis. In a video he recorded of himself on May 29, 2020, he indicated he was in Minneapolis and came to riot.