Marine Corps veteran Nathan Thornsberry hoped a self-published book might shine a sympathetic light on the violence that shook the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Now, it may land him behind bars.
Thornsberry, 42, from North Branch, Michigan, was arrested by the FBI on Aug. 22 on multiple criminal charges, including assaulting law enforcement, stemming from his alleged conduct during the deadly Capitol breach, the Justice Department said in a release.
Video allegedly captured the Marine veteran facing off with law enforcement during the Jan. 6 riot. But in the months that followed, Thornsberry also sought to put the day into his own words. He self-published "January 6: A Patriot's Story," a 103-page paperback, on Amazon under the alias "Nathaniel Matthews" in February 2022, court documents allege.
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Thornsberry's first-person account in the self-published book earned praise from some and raised eyebrows for at least one acquaintance, who flagged it to federal officials.
The Marine veteran was charged in D.C. federal court last week with two felonies: obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder; and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. He also faces four misdemeanor charges: 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 a Capitol building or grounds.
"His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election," the DOJ said.
Thornsberry is also not the first recent case of a self-published book getting a Marine into trouble. The service launched an investigation last year into Gunnery Sgt. Christopher Champagne, 36, after he self-published a book he described as detailing "a scandalous romantic relationship" with a potential female recruit.
Police-worn body camera footage of rioters captured Thornsberry trying to breach a police line by pushing against the metal bike racks that Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police officers were using as a barricade that afternoon, federal officials allege.
"Officers then attempted to push the bike racks back, and were met with resistance from Thornsberry and others," the DOJ wrote in the release. "It is alleged that officers directed the crowd of rioters to move back and, in response, Thornsberry can be heard multiple times yelling, 'Bring it!'"
Thornsberry is one of more than 200 current and former U.S. service members charged so far in connection with alleged crimes on Jan. 6, according to a terrorism-focused research consortium at the University of Maryland.
He enlisted in the Marines in January 2006 and served for five years, first as an air traffic controller trainee and later as a combat engineer, Corps spokesperson Yvonne Carlock told Military.com on Monday.
Thornsberry deployed to Afghanistan from December 2009 to June 2010, the service said. While in uniform, he earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal -- awarded for meritorious accomplishment in overall performance or for a specific event -- along with other commendations awarded to most troops who served during the war on terror and as part of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.
He separated from the military 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 that were unsealed last week appear to show Thornsberry sporting 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 barricade he had fought to break, told the interviewer he "got right up in the front" and linked arms with other rioters to push back against the officers protecting the Capitol.
He had pressed his back against a metal bicycle rack being held by multiple police officers on the Capitol's lower west terrace, images included in the court documents show. He later said he believed police were preparing to attack the protesters and "moved to the front near the barrier in order to protect an old man and a young woman," according to court documents.
While Thornsberry claimed he was pushed against the police line as the crowd surged, court documents argue that video evidence shows Thornsberry voluntarily pushed against the officers.
"I stayed up there for about four different pushes, got blasted over and over and over," he told the interviewer at the Capitol. Court documents noted he appeared to be under the effects of chemical spray during the interview.
His self-published book included his motivation and opinion on the breach of the Capitol and the attempt to disrupt 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 reads. "The author gives his opinion on what motivated hundreds of thousands if not millions of protesters to journey 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 and the same phone number connected to Thornsberry's social media, court documents said. An author biography on the site describes Matthews as a Marine Corps veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, matching Thornsberry's official service record.
The book is still available for purchase. Court documents said the book was later revised and published as "January 6th Redux: A Patriot's Story" on Kindle in March 2023. That version has been removed from Amazon.
In the book, Thornsberry said he traveled to Washington to attend the "Stop the Steal" protest, which pushed false claims that widespread voter fraud had stopped incumbent President Donald Trump from winning the 2020 U.S. presidential election, court documents said.
The author warned of a "shadowy organization" that had "infiltrated" societies and institutions across the U.S. and around the world.
"I sense an internal threat, a threat that played a significant role in the deterioration of the war on terror, perverting it and turning it inward toward 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 Jan. 6 were "orchestrated to complete the steal of an election" and "justify the government's strong-arm tactics" in silencing Trump supporters. Despite the claims and numerous court cases, there is no evidence of widespread election fraud during the 2020 presidential election.
A warrant for Thornsberry's arrest was issued Aug. 20; he was taken into custody in Michigan two days later.
Thornsberry appeared in federal district court in Flint on Aug. 22 and was released on a $10,000 bond, pending further court proceedings. He faces a minimum sentence of fines or at least 16 and a half years in prison, up to a maximum sentence of nearly 40 years behind bars.
Sanford Plotkin, Thornsberry's lawyer, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.
Almost 1,500 people have been charged for crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach so far, the Justice Department said. About one-third of them face felony charges of assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
At least 231 Capitol riot defendants -- about 15% of those charged -- have U.S. military backgrounds, Michael Jensen, research director at the University of Maryland's National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, or START, told Military.com on Monday. Nearly 90% of those were not currently serving on Jan. 6.
The federal investigation remains ongoing.
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