An amateur St. Louis Cardinals mascot who became the subject of a conspiracy theory related to the Jan. 6 riot pleaded guilty Friday to a charge stemming from his actions during the 2021 attack on the Capitol.
Rally Runner, formerly known as Daniel Donnelly Jr., pleaded guilty to one count of civil disorder, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years supervised release.
His sentencing is scheduled for July 30.
In a statement Friday, Runner’s attorney Scott Rosenblum said that his client “wanted to accept responsibility and move on with the next chapter of his life.”
Runner was previously accused on national television of working on behalf of the government to provoke some of the actions on Jan. 6. A lawyer representing several Capitol riot defendants falsely claimed on Tucker Carlson’s former Fox News show in 2021 that Runner was “clearly a law enforcement officer“ and an “agent provocateur” who had disguised himself as a Trump fan to smear the former president’s supporters.
Daniel Donnelly Jr., aka Rally Runner, at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (FBI)
Runner was arrested in St. Louis, Missouri, in August on five federal charges, including obstructing, impeding, and interfering