A Kentucky man, known online as “Live Wire,” and allegedly linked to a far-right militia group, has confessed to scheming to harm police officers during the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Confronted with an overwhelming abundance of evidence, Dan Edwin Wilson, 48, of Louisville, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct or injure a federal officer, as well as federal firearms offenses for possessing an unregistered firearm, the Justice Department announced Monday.
Prosecutors revealed Wilson’s premeditated plans dating back to winter 2020, using encrypted apps to organize violence. Referring to himself as a “gray ghost ranger” and hinting at militia ties, he discussed bringing firearms to D.C. for potential government takeovers.
Days before the attack, Wilson pledged allegiance to the cause: “I am ready to lay my life on the line. It is time for good men to do bad things.”
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After goading from Trump’s rhetoric, Wilson, alongside co-defendant David Scott Kuntz, stormed the Capitol, prosecutors said. Wilson coordinated with militia members, urging them through walkie-talkie apps to breach police lines.
He cheered on the mob outside before donning a gas mask and entering the Capitol.
Arrested a year later, Wilson’s home yielded loaded firearms, despite previous felony convictions barring him from gun ownership. Clothing matching his Capitol attire was also seized.
Facing sentencing by Judge Dabney Friedrich, Wilson could spend up to six years in prison for his role in the attack.
