Kriti Mehrotra
Having dropped out of school in 9th grade following a difficult childhood involving a physically abusive father, bullying, and marijuana use, Michael Thomas Curzio is admittedly not a perfect man. After all, as explored in HBO’s ‘The Insurrectionist Next Door,’ this former cocaine addict’s (from ages 16-22) first significant run-in with the law was when he was arrested for attempted first-degree murder on April 23, 2012 — he’d shot his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in the chest with his pistol. This was apparently the same 9mm weapon he’d used to attempt suicide three days prior by placing it right inside his mouth, but the bullet inserted turned out to have a big dimple; it was a dud.
Michael was clearly depressed and spiraling at the time, yet he knew he had to face the consequences of his actions, so he pleaded guilty in exchange for a relatively lenient 8 years in early 2013. That’s when he joined the neo-Nazi Aryan Brotherhood, leading many to deem him an undeniable white supremacist — though, he has always claimed this move was for his own safety despite the fact he subsequently got several gang-affiliated tattoos, including swastikas and other symbols.” I am a former member of a prison gang,” this Florida native reiterated in the documentary. “I did what I had to do to come home in one whole piece;” yet, he still has most of his tattoos on display.
Coming to Michael’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack in DC, neither was he outrightly physical with anyone nor did he resist expulsion despite being one of the first to get caught. Then came his official January 14 arrest for disorderly conduct, entering and remaining inside a restricted structure, parading, demonstrating, or picketing, plus violent entry into a government space.He was subsequently denied bail on the grounds of his previous felony conviction and thus remained behind bars until it was time for him to face his day in court, only to plead guilty on July 12, 2022.
Where is Michael Curzio Now?
As one of the earliest, least violent rioters to learn his fate upon pleading guilty to just parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, Michael was sentenced to a mere six months in prison. However, because this came with credit for time already served, plus nothing more than a $500 restitution fee — it doesn’t appear as if he was ordered supervision — he was released two days later. Since then, from what we can tell, he has managed to lead a relatively quiet life in Marion County, where he’s pursuing his dreams of becoming a musician as Division of Corporation while also being surrounded by love at every step thanks to his girlfriend, Jennifer Lovett.
“I’m gonna own up,” then-35-year-old Michael had said during his sentencing. “I did parade, demonstrate and picket [in the Capitol]. I can’t deny that. You have it on video. I’m not gonna contest it.” He then conceded his behavior lasted as long as it did because he hadn’t initially heard the local police “telling us to leave… When law enforcement came in and started arresting people, they grabbed me… Once the officer told me I was under arrest, I was very compliant.” This Florida resident then concluded, “I accept responsibility for my actions and what I did… Thank you for being fair” — he was actually handed the maximum for his charge, but it was still 6 months.
Michael has since also conceded in the original production that he’d never intended to “storm the Capitol. I was just in a big crowd, and everybody was going forward, so it was herd mentality. Like, ‘We’re going to go in there, and we’re going to be heard’… I planned on attending [this riot], hooting and hollering, and then going home. Never once on the ride up there or while sitting in my hotel did I think, ‘You know what? It’d be a great idea to storm the capital. Cause that’s stupid. It really is.” Hence, even though he still backs former President Donald Trump, has his own set of beliefs regarding the 2020 national elections, and would unabashedly attend such a protest again, he’d never really step into a government structure.
Coming to the reason Michael really attended that fateful rally, this self-taught welder, carpenter, auto-mechanic, plus all-round handyman expressed in the HBO docu-film, “I went because I was tired of my voice not being heard. I could go to Washington DC, and I could be heard along with hundreds or thousands or millions of other people. That’s what I did. That’s why I went. I was going to lose everything anyway. I was literally month to month scraping together my rent money. I had to [wonder], ‘Okay, am I going to put gas in my truck this week, or do I gotta pay my insurance? Am I going to pay my electricity bill or pay my rent?’ These were the decisions I had to make, and finally, I said enough is enough. I’m going to go.”
Read More: Jason Riddle: Where is the January 6th Rioter Now?
