According to the court filings, Sullivan portrayed himself as an independent journalist who was reporting on the chaos, but actually encouraged other participants to “burn” the building and engage in violence.
Sullivan recorded video of the confrontation between rioters and police just outside the U.S. House of Representatives chamber that included the shooting of protester Ashli Babbitt and, according to court filings, boasted to an unnamed witness that “my footage is worth like a million of dollars, millions of dollars.”
Sullivan sold that footage to several news outlets for a total of $90,000, according to a seizure warrant. The news outlets were redacted from the warrant.
According to media reports, Sullivan participated in Black Lives Matter protests last year. Other Black Lives Matter activists in his home state have disavowed him.
www.voanews.com/usa/us-seizes-90000-man-who-sold-footage-us-capitol-riot
USCP: “Our concern is that providing unfettered access to hours of extremely sensitive information to defendants who already have shown a desire to interfere in with the democratic process will . . . [be] passed on to those who might wish to attack the Capitol again.”
LOL.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 11, 2021
U.S. authorities seize $90,000 from Utahn who sold footage from Capitol breach to news outlets:
John Sullivan sold footage of a confrontation between Capitol Police and the crowd storming the building to multiple news outlets. Part of it showed an officer shooting and killing Ashli Babbitt.
The court filings cited by Reuters, which were unsealed Thursday, show that Sullivan also faces new charges. He faces eight criminal counts, including weapons charges.
Sullivan is one of several Utahns charged with being involved in the insurrection.
h/t Anon Braveheart