On August 14, 2020, Phillip J. Wenzel was part of a violent Antifa riot in Portland, Oregon. He was arrested and charged with one felony and three misdemeanors. Police say he attacked an officer who was trying to arrest another suspect. According to local media, Wenzel was wearing a Kevlar vest, helmet, and gas mask.
Radical “progressive” Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt dropped all his local charges. Schmidt has refused to prosecute over 90% of all charges brought against Antifa and BLM rioters in Portland.
A federal grand jury indicted Wenzel on the charge of felony civil disorder, a federal charge. Civil disorder is used when someone interferes with a police officer who is trying to make an arrest. It carries a five-year sentence. On September 29, 2020, he was arrested by US Marshalls.
However, acting US Attorney Scott Erik Asphaug has come to his rescue. Rather than hold Wenzel accountable for his actions, Asphaug asked the judge to dismiss all the charges since Wenzel completed four days of community service.
Apparently, four days of community service is enough to evade years in federal prison. Wenzel is a Portland-area paralegal.
The authorities in Portland refuse to prosecute Antifa. The state of Oregon refuses to prosecute Antifa. Federal prosecutors are supposed to pick up the slack when local and/or state authorities refuse to prosecute a certain class of criminal. It does not seem like that is happening.
