A man who was pardoned for rioting on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol was found guilty Wednesday of touching a woman’s hair on the Metro while filming it and posting that video on social media.
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After the non-jury trial, Judge Anthony Epstein decided the mounting circumstantial evidence pointed overwhelmingly to Bryan Betancur as the man in the video, as well as his criminal intent. Betancur was sentenced Thursday to six months in jail, the max penalty for simple assault.
Betancur, of Silver Spring, Maryland, filmed himself stroking a blonde woman’s hair aboard a Red Line train on Feb. 28.
The woman, who has remained anonymous, testified that she had been returning home after a friend’s party and was not even aware of the nonconsensual touching until a co-worker showed her the video two days later.
She told the judge that it had been deeply unsettling and disturbing, due to the public nature of being aboard a Metro train and then gaining viral fame. She testified that it has made her more aware of her surroundings to the point of paranoia.
Betancur’s defense attorney argued there was no definitive proof that it was Betancur in the video because only a hand was shown and numerous people could have had access to this X account, “BryanBetan75949,” which posted the video.
But prosecutors supplied mounting evidence that Betancur owned the X account, through pictures of himself and even a video bragging about the presidential pardon he received from being convicted of his part of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. The video displayed court documents with his name on it.
The lead detective in the case also provided video evidence of Betancur exiting the same Red Line car that the victim had ridden and exited a few stops before him.
The judge explicitly pointed out the criminal intent behind the touching via the post’s caption, which read, “Blondes are a good adventure and yeah she gave me permission Lol.” He stated the acknowledgment of a lack of consent showed a conscience of guilt.
This is not the end of Betancur’s legal troubles. He faces an assault charge in Arlington for a similar incident on the Metro there. Betancur is also facing stalking charges in D.C.
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