Jan. 6 figure Jake Lang charged with felony for smashing 'Prosecute ICE' Capitol sculpture
Jake Lang, a 30-year‑old far‑right influencer pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, was charged by Ramsey County prosecutors with one felony count of first‑degree criminal damage to property after State Patrol troopers say he kicked and broke a "Prosecute ICE" ice sculpture outside the Minnesota Capitol — an act he recorded and posted — with the damage valued at more than $1,000 (Common Defense paid $6,250 for the piece). Identified via his own social‑media video, Lang was arrested nearby, booked into Ramsey County Jail, made an initial court appearance and was released under conditions; he has defended the act as "First Amendment" and "artistic expression," a claim the charging complaint rejects, and the felony carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
📌 Key Facts
- The suspect is 30-year-old Jake Lang, a far-right influencer from Florida who was pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and who had appeared in Minneapolis earlier in January (in a now-viral incident where a local woman briefly drove him away from counterprotesters).
- Ramsey County prosecutors charged Lang with one felony count of first-degree criminal damage to property for kicking and breaking the 'Prosecute ICE' ice sculpture outside the Minnesota Capitol; the charging document values the damage at more than $1,000, which elevated the count to a felony.
- First-degree damage to property carries a statutory maximum penalty of up to 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
- State Patrol troopers observed Lang kicking and breaking the sculpture around 2:30 p.m.; Lang recorded and posted the act on X, troopers identified him from that video, stopped his vehicle at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and University Ave., arrested him without incident, booked him into Ramsey County Jail, and he subsequently made an initial court appearance and was released under conditions.
- According to reports, Lang allegedly kicked over the letters 'SECUTE,' altering the message from 'PROSECUTE ICE' to 'PRO ICE,' and posted the footage as content.
- The sculpture was commissioned by Common Defense, which paid $6,250 to a local artist and $600 for permitted removal; the display had a permitted window (reported as 6:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m. on Feb. 5) and troopers say the vandalism was reported around 2:30 p.m., within the lawful display period.
- Reactions are split: Common Defense and local coordinators called the act an attack on veterans’ First Amendment expression and tied it to calls to prosecute ICE and agents involved in the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee (Rebecca) Good; Lang’s defense claims the act was 'First Amendment' and 'artistic expression,' while the complaint notes the First Amendment does not protect destroying someone else’s property.
📊 Relevant Data
Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was fatally shot by two Customs and Border Protection agents, Jesus Ochoa and Raymundo Gutierrez, on January 24, 2026, in Minneapolis while observing an ICE operation, with 10 shots fired in less than five seconds according to forensic audio analysis.
A minute-by-minute timeline of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents — ABC News
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, was fatally shot three times and grazed once by ICE officer Jonathan Ross on January 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, with autopsy findings confirming shots to the head and other areas during an encounter in her car.
Renee Good was shot in the head, autopsy commissioned by her family finds — NBC News
Venezuelan immigrants in the US had an incarceration rate of 241 per 100,000 in 2023, compared to higher rates for US-born citizens, with undocumented immigrants having a 41% lower total criminal conviction rate than natives from 2010-2023.
Illegal Immigrant Incarceration Rates, 2010–2023 — Cato Institute
Somali immigrants in Minnesota who arrived as children have a higher incarceration rate than natives according to a 2026 analysis, though claims of 80% crime attribution to Somalis in the Twin Cities are inaccurate, with Somalis comprising about 2% of the state's population.
How a Manhattan Institute Comparison of Immigrant Incarceration Rates is Rhetorically Misleading — Cato Institute
Operation Metro Surge has led to economic losses in Minneapolis estimated at $10 to $20 million per week due to scared-off customers and workers, impacting businesses and potentially leading to higher property taxes.
New data shows Minneapolis economy reeling since ICE's Operation Metro Surge began — KARE 11
Venezuelan migration to the US is driven by economic collapse, political instability, and US economic sanctions since 2017, leading to over 7 million Venezuelans fleeing since 2014, with hyper-dependency on oil exacerbating the crisis.
Venezuelan Refugee Crisis: A Consequence of U.S. Economic Sanctions — University at Albany Scholars Archive
Minnesota's Somali population grew to approximately 107,000 by 2024, representing 2% of the state's 5.7 million residents, with most arriving as refugees since the 1990s, while Venezuelan population data in Minnesota is limited but part of broader US increases.
By the numbers: Minnesota's Somali population, according to Census data — KTTC
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Ramsey County prosecutors have charged Jake Lang with first‑degree criminal damage to property (a felony) for kicking and breaking the 'Prosecute ICE' ice sculpture outside the Minnesota Capitol on Jan. 23.
- The charging document values the damage at more than $1,000, triggering the felony‑level count rather than a misdemeanor.
- The complaint confirms State Patrol troopers identified Lang via his own social‑media video showing the vandalism, then arrested him nearby and booked him into Ramsey County Jail; he has since made an initial court appearance and was released under conditions.
- Confirms the exact charge: one felony count of first-degree damage to property, with a statutory maximum of 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
- Lays out the financials behind the sculpture: Common Defense paid $6,250 to a local artist to create the "Prosecute ICE" ice piece and $600 for permitted removal after 11:30 p.m.
- Details the permitted display window (6:30 a.m.–11:30 p.m. Feb. 5) and that troopers were alerted about vandalism around 2:30 p.m., well within the lawful display period.
- Describes how Lang allegedly kicked over the letters "SECUTE," changing the message from "PROSECUTE ICE" to "PRO ICE," and that he recorded and posted the act as content.
- Quotes Lang’s defense that he was exercising "First Amendment" and "artistic expression," and the complaint’s explicit rebuttal that the First Amendment does not protect destroying someone else’s property.
- Notes that Lang has been booked into Ramsey County Jail and had his first court appearance Friday afternoon.
- Identifies the suspect as 30-year-old Jake Lang, a far-right influencer from Florida who was pardoned for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
- Details that State Patrol troopers saw Lang kicking and breaking the sculpture around 2:30 p.m. Friday, then stopped his vehicle at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and University Ave. and arrested him without incident.
- Confirms Lang was booked into Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of criminal damage to property.
- Reports that Lang himself posted video on X kicking down the "Prosecute ICE" ice sculpture.
- Includes on-the-record reactions from Common Defense and local coordinators, framing the vandalism as an attack on veterans’ First Amendment expression and explicitly tying it to calls to prosecute ICE and agents involved in the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee (Rebecca) Good.
- Notes Lang’s earlier January appearance in Minneapolis and the now-viral incident where a local woman briefly drove him away from angry counterprotesters and later denounced his politics to FOX 9.