A former Fort Bragg soldier who re-enlisted in the Army after attacking police with chemical spray during the riot at the U.S. Capitol will serve the longest prison sentence handed down so far against a North Carolina defendants.
The judge in Washington sentenced James and his co-conspirator to 44 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The Chief U.S. District Judge said during the hearings that the two men were not patriots. There were no people who broke police lines. They were not normal people.
A man who used to be of Brockport, New York, near Rochester, asked for forgiveness.
He told the judge that the police officers didn't deserve what happened to them. I was a soldier. I should have been aware of what was happening.
It was a bit of a mistake to think that he was a soldier. The Army veteran was fired from his ironworker's job in New York after the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol by a mob of Donald Trump supporters.
Both Mault and Mattice denied taking part in the violence against police that left at least five people dead.
He re-enlisted in May after four years as an Army combat engineer. The Washington Post reported that the Army didn't know he was being investigated by the FBI when he returned.
According to court documents, investigators obtained videos that showed him and his friend Mattice at two front lines of Capitol violence.
On the West Plaza outside the Capitol, at around 2 p.m. on January 6th, Mault urged the police to join the insurrection.
When you come back after we kick the s--- out of everyone, he said on Mattice's video.
This is a lie. There wouldn't be this many people here if we were doing what we're doing. You guys are aware of this.
Several metal barricades in front of the police line were pulled down by Mault and Mattice in order to help other rioters get to the Capitol.
Both men crowd-surfed their way to the mouth of the west terrace tunnel. The officer caught on camera was identified in court documents as M. A.
Emails and text messages obtained by the FBI show that Mault and Mattice had been planning the violence for a long time.
The two pleaded guilty to felony assault on police officers. Their sentences were increased due to their use of sprays. Other charges that could have added years to their punishments were dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas.
The judge was told on Friday that he went to the Capitol with the best intentions. The protest got out of hand and I fell into the mob mentality.
More than 850 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol violence, and more than 260 of them have been charged with assault or obstruction of justice. According to the Post, only four people have received longer prison terms than the two men.
The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are alleged to have been involved in the riot. Others are still being investigated.
The judge said her sentences had to serve as a warning to future malcontents disappointed with the outcome of an election, especially by directing participating in violence as these two defendants did.
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