Pardoned Jan. 6 defendant convicted in ‘creepy’ hair-touching case

A pardoned Jan. 6 defendant was found guilty Wednesday of a single count of simple assault for sitting behind a woman on a train, touching her hair and posting the incident to social media. Bryan Betancur, of Silver Spring, Maryland, was found guilty in Washington, D.C., Superior Court of surreptitiously fondling a woman’s hair on a Metro Red Line train in February. “It’s just a creepy thing to do,” the judge said in court. The victim identified in the video also spoke in court, saying, “I think about this video every single day. I think about this video every time I get on the Metro, which is twice every single day.” She said it’s changed how she feels about being in public and that she feels paranoid and exposed after the incident. “It was very upsetting and unsettling to see someone had touched me and posted about it on the internet without my consent,” she testified. The maximum sentence for the charge, which is a misdemeanor, is 180 days. Betancur has already served 125 days after a judge ordered him held in custody in April over an alleged bail violation. Prosecutors indicated they would argue for more jail time, rather than giving Betancur credit for time served. In addition to jail time, he could receive a $1,000 fine. A sentencing hearing is set for Thursday afternoon. Betancur is also facing a stalking charge in Washington, D.C., and an additional assault and battery charge in Arlington, Virginia. The Arlington charge stems from an incident similar to the one he was convicted of Wednesday: He is accused of livestreaming himself fondling the hair of a different woman on a train there. The FBI has said Betancur is a self-professed white supremacist, who was photographed holding a Confederate flag during the Jan. 6 insurrection. It was part of a federal case against Betancur in which the FBI said he was on parole for burglary charges and wearing an ankle monitor while taking part in the insurrection of the Capitol. He was sentenced to jail but was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.