Marine Corps veteran Nathan Thornsberry hoped a self-published book could shed a compassionate light on the violence that rocked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Now it could put him behind bars.
Thornsberry, 42, of North Branch, Michigan, was arrested by the FBI on August 22 on multiple felony charges, including assault on law enforcement officers. The charges stem from his alleged conduct during the deadly breach of the Capitol, the Justice Department said in a press release.
A video reportedly shows the Marine veteran being confronted by police during the Jan. 6 riots. But in the months that followed, Thornsberry also tried to describe the day in his own words. He published “January 6: A Patriot’s Story,” a 103-page paperback, on Amazon in February 2022 under the pseudonym “Nathaniel Matthews,” court documents show.
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Thornsberry’s firsthand account in the self-published book drew praise from some and puzzled at least one acquaintance, who brought it to the attention of federal authorities.
The Marine veteran was charged last week in federal court in Washington DC with two felonies: obstructing law enforcement during a riot; and assaulting, resisting, or obstructing certain officers. He is also charged with four misdemeanors: entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; act of physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and disorderly or disruptive conduct in any Capitol building or grounds.
“His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the United States Congress convened to determine and count the electoral votes in connection with the 2020 presidential election,” the Justice Department said.
Thornsberry is also not the first case in which a Marine has gotten into trouble because of a self-published book. The US Naval Service launched an investigation into Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Champagne (36) last year after he self-published a book in which he described a “scandalous love affair” with a potential recruit.
Footage from a police body camera shows Thornsberry attempting to break through a police cordon by pushing against the metal bike racks that the Metropolitan Police Department and Capitol Police were using as a barricade that afternoon, federal officials say.
“Officers then attempted to push the bike racks back and encountered resistance from Thornsberry and others,” the Justice Department wrote in the press release. “It is alleged that officers ordered the crowd of rioters to back off and that Thornsberry can be heard yelling ‘Bring it on!'”
Thornsberry is one of more than 200 current and former U.S. soldiers who have been charged so far in connection with alleged crimes committed on January 6, according to a terrorism research consortium at the University of Maryland.
He joined the Marines in January 2006 and served for five years, first as an air traffic controller trainee and later as a combat engineer, Corps spokeswoman Yvonne Carlock told Military.com on Monday.
Thornsberry served in Afghanistan from December 2009 to June 2010, the U.S. military said. During his service, he received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal – an award for outstanding performance in general or in a specific event – as well as other awards given to most soldiers who served in the war on terror and as part of the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan.
He retired from military service in January 2011 as a corporal with the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Screenshots of video footage included in federal court documents unsealed last week appear to show Thornsberry wearing a black jacket with a large Marine Corps emblem on the back, as well as a black “Trump 2020” shirt and black gloves that “appear to have reinforced knuckles,” investigators said.
Thornsberry, who identified himself in a recorded video interview near the police cordon he was trying to break through, told the interviewer that he “went all the way to the front” and linked arms with other rioters to push back police guarding the Capitol.
He had pressed his back against a metal bike rack held by several police officers on the Capitol’s lower west terrace, court documents show. He later said he believed police were preparing to attack the protesters and “moved forward near the barrier to protect an elderly man and a young woman,” court documents say.
Although Thornsberry claimed he was pushed against the police line as the crowd grew, court documents say video evidence showed Thornsberry intentionally pushed police back.
“I stayed up there for about four different forays and was sprayed over and over again,” he told the interviewer at the Capitol. According to court documents, he appeared to be under the influence of chemical spray during the interview.
In his self-published book, he outlined, among other things, his motives and views on the intrusion into the Capitol and the attempt to prevent the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
“For over a year, the mainstream media and establishment politicians have created a narrative of a violent and coordinated insurrection. The reporting has been selective and misleading,” the book’s description on Amazon states. “The author offers his opinion on what motivated hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of protesters to travel to the (nation’s capital), recalls what he saw and experienced that day, and shares his thoughts on the aftermath.”
The Amazon profile for “Nathaniel Matthews” was registered by a person named Nathaniel Thornsberry, with his email address and the same phone number linked to Thornsberry’s social media accounts, court documents say. An author bio on the website describes Matthews as a Marine Corps veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, which matches Thornsberry’s official service record.
The book is still available. According to court documents, the book was later revised and published on Kindle in March 2023 as “January 6th Redux: A Patriot’s Story.” This version has been removed from Amazon.
In the book, Thornsberry said he traveled to Washington to take part in the “Stop the Steal” protests, which spread false claims that widespread voter fraud prevented incumbent President Donald Trump from winning the 2020 U.S. presidential election, court documents say.
The author warned of a “shady organization” that had “infiltrated” societies and institutions in the United States and around the world.
“I sense an internal threat, a threat that has played a significant role in worsening the War on Terror by perverting it and turning it inward against our own citizens,” Thornsberry wrote, according to court documents. “It is a threat to our way of life, to our freedoms, and to our Constitution.”
Thornsberry also argued that the events of January 6 were “staged to complete the election fraud” and “justify the administration’s harsh methods” to silence Trump supporters. Despite the claims and numerous lawsuits, there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
On August 20, an arrest warrant was issued for Thornsberry; two days later, he was taken into custody in Michigan.
Thornsberry appeared in federal district court in Flint on August 22 and was released on $10,000 bail pending further court proceedings. He faces at least fines or a minimum of 16.5 years in prison, with a maximum of nearly 40 years behind bars.
Sanford Plotkin, Thornsberry’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Nearly 1,500 people have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department said. About a third of them are charged with assault or obstruction of law enforcement.
At least 231 defendants in connection with the Capitol riots – about 15% of those charged – have a U.S. military background, Michael Jensen, research director for the University of Maryland’s National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START), told Military.com on Monday. Nearly 90% of them were not on military duty on Jan. 6.
The federal investigation is still ongoing.
Related: Marine veteran targeted by Jan. 6 conspiracy theories receives probation for role in Capitol riot
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