The man pleaded guilty to attacking police officers.
He entered restricted areas and beat an officer with a flag.
He was sentenced to 46 months in prison, a $2,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.
Howard C. Richardson was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for attacking a police officer with a Trump flag.
According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, Richardson made his way to restricted areas of the Capitol grounds during the riot that interrupted Congress as members were counting electoral votes.
The Pennsylvania native told the FBI he was at the Capitol because he was angry about the 2020 presidential election. As he passed the officers trying to keep the surge at bay, he carried a Trump flag.
Richardson stood several feet away from the police line at the West Terrace with a flag pole. He swung it downward to hit the officer who was standing behind the barricade. Richardson used enough force to break the flag pole. He and other rioters pushed a metal sign into a line of law enforcement officers.
Richardson downplayed his involvement in the attack, provided false information about his actions, and wrongly claimed he had carried a "back the blue" flag during the riot, according to the government's sentencing memo.
Richardson made this assertion even though the video footage clearly shows his flag is a blue and red Trump flag.
Richardson apologized for his actions, saying that he lost his temper and that there is no excuse for what he did, but that he thought that the certification of Joe Biden's presidential candidacy was a celebration.
Richardson told NBC that he had learned his lesson. I was going down to celebrate my citizenship. I just want to live again.
Richardson was sentenced to 46 months in prison and was ordered to pay $2,000 in back taxes. Richardson will be placed on supervised release following his release.
More than 860 people have been arrested for crimes related to the January 6th US Capitol incident.
Business Insider has an article on it.
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