Antony Vo, an Indiana man who skipped out on a nine-month prison sentence for storming the U.S. Capitol, was arrested this week in Canada. This happened on the anniversary of the Capitol riot.
Vo was caught without any trouble in Whistler, British Columbia, on Monday, said Rebecca Purdy, a spokesperson for Canada Border Services. By Thursday, Vo was still in custody, according to his immigration lawyer.
Vo, a self-described “Trump super fan,” is one of over 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the January 6th Capitol attack. More than 700 have been sentenced to prison. Vo was supposed to report to prison in June 2024 but chose to ignore the court order.
In April 2024, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced Vo and ordered him to begin his sentence by June 14. But instead of turning himself in, Vo ran off.
Even though he was hiding out, Vo didn’t keep a low profile. He kept posting about his case on social media and promoting conspiracy theories about the Capitol riot. He also gave interviews, saying he was sure that President-elect Donald Trump would pardon him soon.
Vo even mocked the judge who sentenced him, calling her decisions unfair and claiming he was wrongfully convicted.
“My entire family hated Chutkan! It’s like we could sense the commie in her,” Vo posted in December.
Vo had been trying to get political asylum in Canada with help from a lawyer in Saskatchewan. He told a Canadian newspaper that he was “pretty much 99% sure” Trump would pardon him once he became president on January 20.
“I really don’t have any reason to doubt it,” Vo told the newspaper.
Vo’s immigration lawyer, Oluwadamilola Asuni, said Vo would stay in custody in Canada until a detention hearing next Wednesday.
Canada Border Services says there’s no record of Vo officially entering Canada, and he was arrested based on an immigration warrant. In 2024, the agency removed over 14,000 people from Canada for breaking similar rules.
Vo’s defense attorney, Carmen Hernandez, learned about his arrest from the news.
“All I can say is that I have not heard from him since he was arrested,” Hernandez said.
Back in 2021, Vo and his mom drove from Indiana to Washington, D.C., to attend Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally. They later entered the Capitol together, and a fellow rioter snapped a photo of them in the Rotunda with Vo holding a flag.
In September 2023, a jury found Vo guilty of four misdemeanors related to the Capitol riot.
During his sentencing, Vo told the judge he was sorry for what happened on January 6, 2021. “I know I shouldn’t have been there that day,” he said.
Judge Chutkan wasn’t convinced. She said Vo clearly didn’t respect the law or the court. She warned him that failing to report to prison could result in more charges.
“He apparently has a different view of the Constitution and a different view of the seriousness of his actions. He’s entitled to that view, but what he’s being sentenced here today are for his actions,” the judge said.
Vo’s mother, Annie Vo, is scheduled for a jury trial on March 10, 2025.
