The man who tried to convince a judge and jury that he didn't know Congress was certifying the 2020 election as a pro- Trump mob descended on the building was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday.
Matthew Bledsoe, of Memphis, Tennessee, was the seventh Capitol riot defendants to face a jury trial, in which he mounted a failed defense claiming he was ignorant of the congressional proceedings on the day he joined a mob of thousands of other Trump supporters in storming the US Capitol.
Evidence showed that Bledsoe's wife and brother had sent him text messages about what was happening inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Bledsoe was found guilty of obstruction and disorderly conduct by a jury in July.
Bledsoe was sentenced to four years in prison on the obstruction charge on Friday by the US District Judge. The judge said that all his sentences were to run at the same time. Bledsoe will be required to serve three years of supervised release and pay thousands of dollars in fines.
Ahead of the sentencing, Howell told Bledsoe that he knew what was happening.
There was a lot of evidence against Bledsoe from his own social media accounts. Bledsoe filmed himself as he entered the capitol through a broken window.
Where are those pieces of shit? Bledsoe said something in the video.
Prosecutors asked Bledsoe who he was referring to during his trial. He told the courtroom that he was just being a loudmouth and that he was trying to argue that the people who stole the election were not the elected officials.
According to The Commercial Appeal, Bledsoe responded "good" after his wife told him about a bomb threat near the Capitol building.
On January 10, 2021, Bledsoe wrote to his wife saying he believed politicians would die and that he was worried, according to the outlet.
Bledsoe wrote that they were all going to be executed.
Bledsoe's attorney did not reply to Insider's request for comment.
More than 900 people have been arrested on Capitol riot charges.
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