Costa Mesa man, former UCLA student, sentenced for role in Jan. 6 riot

UCLA student arrested by FBI in connection with Capitol riot following tip from another student

Christian Secor, 22, a UCLA student from Costa Mesa, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

SANTA ANA, Calif. - A 24-year-old Costa Mesa man was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in federal prison Wednesday for his part in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Christian Alexander Secor pleaded guilty May 19 to obstruction of an official proceeding and was sentenced in Washington, D.C., where his case was assigned along with other accused rioters arrested throughout the country.

Secor, a former UCLA student, was a founder of America First Bruins, a conservative campus organization, according to the FBI.

Secor sent a text message on Election Day in 2020 that, "We're gonna win bigly and if we don't we're taking this ship down in flames," according to federal prosecutors.

Secor "brought a gas mask" to the Capitol, according to one of his text messages, and, he added he, "Wouldn't be surprised if conservatives just storm the police and clobber antifa and the police but that's wishful thinking," prosecutors said.

Secor joined others marching to the Capitol and about 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, he and a mob of rioters entered a restricted area before he scaled a scaffolding to get into the building through the Upper West Terrace, prosecutors said.

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Secor got into the Senate Wing Door about 2:26 p.m. about 13 minutes after the door was breached and got over to the Crypt, where the House offices are, and then to the second floor, prosecutors said. Secore eventually walked into the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said.

Later, Secor helped others push open the doors in the East Rotunda and he later got into the Senate chamber, prosecutors said. Secore sat in the vice president's seat and left the building about 2:51 p.m., prosecutors said.

Secor later that day said on Twitter, "One day accomplished more for conservatism than the last 30 years," prosecutors said.

After he is released from prison, he will be on three years of supervised release and must pay $2,000 in restitution.

Secor also allegedly has tweeted that fascism is "epic," according to the FBI affidavit in Secor's case, which also alleges he "valorizes the 2017 Charlottesville tiki torch march, which featured chants of `Jews will not replace us!..." and "states that he supports `nationalism everywhere,' and suggests Jews and the state of Israel control the politics of other governments and attempt to influence `Westerners."'

The FBI also alleged that Secor "defines himself as a fascist" and "has posted threats online and openly posted calls for America to become a whites-only nation," and that he "is known to follow an extreme ideology and invite white nationalists to speak at engagements on campus."

One tipster told FBI agents that when Secor returned from Washington, he "moved back in with his mother in Costa Mesa... got rid of his phone and car and bragged that he would not be caught for his involvement at the U.S. Capitol."