Americas

Arkansas man sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for role in US Capitol riot

Richard 'Bigo' Barnett, 62, was widely known for photo showing him with his feet on a desk in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during Jan. 6 attack

Firdevs Bulut Kartal  | 25.05.2023 - Update : 25.05.2023
Arkansas man sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for role in US Capitol riot US Capitol, Washington D.C. United States on January 06, 2021

Canada

TORONTO

An Arkansas man who was photographed with his feet propped up on a desk in former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison Wednesday, the Justice Department said in a statement. 

Richard “Bigo” Barnett, 62, was convicted in January on eight counts -- four felonies and four misdemeanors -- related to the attack on the Capitol.

"Barnett was found guilty on January 23, 2023 of all charges including obstruction of an official proceeding, interfering with a police officer during a civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous or deadly weapon, (and) disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon, all of which are felonies," the statement said.

Barnett's photo in Pelosi’s office has become one of the most well-known images from the Capitol riot.

US District Judge Christopher Cooper noted that Barnett did not take any responsibility for his actions as he handed down his sentence Wednesday, according to media reports.

Five people died from the violence on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, and the Capitol building was badly damaged. Four law enforcement officers died by suicide in the aftermath.

The attack marked the first time the Capitol had been occupied since British forces torched it during the War of 1812.

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