‘Can’t believe I’m going to prison for an Nft salesman’
- The far-right personality known as “Baked Alaska” tweeted that he can’t believe he’s “going to jail for an nft seller.”
- “Baked Alaska”, whose real name is Anthime Gionet, participated in the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
- He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge that carries a sentence of up to 6 months. His sentencing is in January.
The far-right internet personality known as “Baked Alaska” was less than pleased with former President Donald Trump’s announcement Thursday that he is launching a series of digital trading card NFTs.
“I can’t believe I’m going to jail for a nft seller,” Baked Alaska, whose real name is Anthime Gionet, tweeted Thursday afternoon.
Gionet participated in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and later pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. The charge carries a penalty of up to six months, and Gionet’s sentencing is scheduled for 12 January.
Trump, who launched his 2024 presidential campaign last month, first teased his NFT collection in a Truth Social post on Wednesday.
“AMERICA NEEDS A SUPERHERO! I’m making a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT tomorrow. THANK YOU!” he wrote. The statement was accompanied by a video depicting Trump as a Superman-style superhero, complete with laser beams shooting out of his eyes.
He followed up on Thursday morning, writing on his Twitter-esque social media page that “the official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here! These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career!”
He added that the cards, which cost $99 apiece, are “like a baseball card, but hopefully a lot more exciting.”
Gionet, who live-streamed himself storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, didn’t mince words when reacting to Trump’s announcement.
“I wanted to make America great again but all I got was this shitty nft,” he tweeted.
—Baked Alaska™️ (@bakedalaska) 15 December 2022
“America doesn’t need a superhero it needs Jesus,” he wrote in another tweet.
Gionet rose to prominence as a far-right internet troll and Trump supporter during the 2016 election. He attended the neo-Nazi “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 and has a long history of sharing anti-Semitic and white nationalist propaganda.
He was permanently banned from Twitter in 2017 for violating the platform’s hateful conduct policy, which prohibits “repeated and/or non-conversational slurs, epithets, racist and sexist tropes, or other content that demeans anyone.”
But Twitter, now owned by self-described free-speech absolutist Elon Musk, reinstated Gionet’s account earlier this week.
Gionet was arrested shortly after the Capitol uprising. “Occupy the Capitol, let’s go!” he shouted at one point as he stormed the building, according to his live stream. “We’re not leaving this bitch!”
He will also begin serving a 30-day jail sentence starting Jan. 2 for an unrelated charge of defrauding a security guard in late 2020, The Daily Beast reported.
He was convicted of this charge in January this year and appealed the sentence, but was denied.
Gionet told his followers of the denial last month and expressed frustration at his upcoming sentencing for the Capitol riot.
“And then, it’s not even the January 6th thing!” Gionet said of the 30-day sentence for the mace charge. “Then I have to serve on the 6th of January. So ah, it sucks! It sucks.”