BATTLE GROUND, Wash. — A federal judge sentenced a Battle Ground man to 75 days in prison for taking selfie-style photos with his son during the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Jeff Grace, 64, had pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
Since his arrest, Grace lost his long-time job as a truck driver with Daimler North American and his wife of 42 years divorced him, according to court papers.
Grace’s son, Jeremy Grace, was sentenced to 21 days in prison and supervised release in July 2022.
Court records alleged the father-son duo went to Washington D.C. in January 2021 to attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump. They traveled and stayed at a hotel with a member of the Proud Boys identified as “Travis” in court documents. Travis was known to be a higher-level member of the Proud Boys from the same region, federal prosecutors alleged.
Grace was a probationary member of the Proud Boys and had been attending Proud Boys meetings, gatherings and rallies, according to court records.
On the evening of January 5, the three men attended a gathering of Proud Boys from around the country. Ethan Nordean, a leader of the Proud Boys, also attended the gatherings, along with Joseph Biggs. A jury convicted Nordean, Biggs and two other leaders of the Proud Boys of seditious conspiracy in May 2023.
On Jan. 6, the father and son from Southwest Washington joined with a large group of Proud Boys at the Washington Monument before walking toward the U.S. Capitol Building, according to federal investigators.
Despite his claims that he came to Washington D.C. to attend a rally for Trump, investigators said Grace never attended the rally that day.
Federal prosecutors have shared photos and video with the court showing both Jeff and Jeremy Grace a few feet behind the front line of protesters who pushed past law enforcement protecting the Capitol. Images taken from security cameras also show Grace entering the U.S. Capitol Building and then watching another rioter attempt to steal a Congressional lectern.
In a March 2021 interview with KGW, Jeff Grace falsely claimed he didn’t take any photos or videos inside the Capitol Building. He also denied his son, Jeremy entered the federal building.
“He didn’t go into the Capitol,” Jeff Grace told KGW.
Court records proved otherwise. Jeff and Jeremy Grace can be seen posing together in photos and video inside and outside the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection. Federal agents claim both men tried to delete the selfie-style videos.
In one video, prosecutors said the father and son appeared inside the Rotunda.
“Just made it into the Capitol here. Oh yeah, oh yeah,” said Jeremy Grace, according to court documents.
“It gets no better than this,” Jeff Grace replied.
In August 2021, a federal judge ordered Jeff Grace surrender any guns and weapons while awaiting trial after he showed up armed during what prosecutors described as pre-planned confrontations in both Portland, Oregon and El Paso, Texas.
After his arrest, Jeff Grace posted videos on YouTube and social media complaining the Justice Department treated him unfairly. He also sold shirts online displaying the U.S. Capitol with the phrase “OUR HOUSE” boldly printed on the front.
Several social media accounts associated with Jeff Grace, along with the “Our House USA” website selling merchandise, have since been removed.