CONCORD, NH – A federal judge ruled this week that the Amherst man who allegedly made threats to kill members of Congress before flying to Brazil is not trustworthy enough to be released from jail.
Ryan Winegar, 33, has been held since his Jan. 11 arrest at Boston’s Logan Airport. Judge Andrea Johnstone writes in her ruling that Winegar did not tell the full truth about his trip to Brazil, his finances, his weapons cache, or his history of mental illness.
“The pattern appears to go beyond mere factual mistakes or memory lapses,” Johnstone wrote. “Whether calculated, impulsive, or ingrained, defendant’s lack of transparency and tendency to shade the truth in his communications with the court and pretrial services is a factor weighing heavily in favor of detention.”
Winegard, a Navy veteran, allegedly called six members of Congress and made explicit violent threats to kill them for not supporting President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the election, according to court records. Winegar reportedly left his full name and phone number on some of the voicemails that he left, and he disclosed that he is a veteran all, the records show.
The calls took place between Dec. 16 and Dec. 17, according to court records. When Capitol Police officers went to his home on Juniper Drive to interview him, Winegar refused to speak. Within 24 hours, his wife had taken him to the airport and he flew to Brazil, according to court records.
Winegar initially told investigators he had come into some money and was scouting property in Brazil. However, after his arrest, prosecutors learned that there was no money, and the Winegar family is living paycheck to paycheck. Instead, Winegar claimed he was trying to sell his house and move, but the deal fell through, according to Johnstone’s order.
Winegar reportedly told an Amherst police officer that he was in treatment for PTSD, but later told federal court officials he had no history of mental illness. Winegar additionally told investigators he only had a single pistol in his house, yet investigators found an AR-15 rifle loaded with light armor-piercing ammunition, a loaded shotgun, a loaded 9mm pistol, an unloaded rifle with a scope, several hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and a body armor vest, with clips and Level IV body armor plates, according to Johnstone’s order.
“When considered alongside the defendant’s violent threats against Members of Congress, the presence of those items in his home is relevant to the court’s assessment of dangerousness and weighs in favor of detention,” Johnstone wrote.
Along with the violent threats to kill and hang the members of Congress, Winegar is recorded making racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic comments, according to court records.