Walis Tambo rioter gets 45 days jail time

Kene Brian Lazo, the ‘walis tambo’ brandishing rioter who was at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C, on Jan. 6, 2021 was sentenced to 45 days in jail after pleading guilty to participating in the insurrection. He was also ordered to pay $500 in restitution, according to reports.

A court statement says Lazo entered the Capitol after members of the House and Senate, meeting in a joint session to certify Biden’s victory, were evacuated from the Senate Chamber.

He faced four federal crimes: “Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds or in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building,” according to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Lazo said he believed the false narrative that the 2020 presidential election was characterized by massive fraud and that Donald Trump should have won.

He stood out in the riot because of what he wore:  He was draped in a Superman cape and carried a Philippine broom called ‘walis tambo’ with a Captain America replica shield at the tip of the broom handle. He wore a Rodbustars helmet. Rodbustars LLC turns out to be the name of the building construction and repair business owned by Lazo and his wife, according to tips sent to law enforcement.   Filipino Americans on recognizing the ‘walis tambo’ immediately — and correctly — concluded the man was a Filipino.

He told U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper that he lost the family business because of his role in the January 6 riot.

Lazo, who emigrated to the U.S. when he was 8 years old, was arrested May 28 at his house on Herbert Street in Norfolk, Virginia. He is one of more than 800 mostly Trump supporters who have been charged with instigating a riot by forcing their way into the Capitol, overwhelming security and ransacking the legislators’ offices. Many of them, including Lazo, arrogantly posted pictures of their participation in the attack.