Robert Palmer cheered on the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. He yelled obscenities at police officers who were trying to keep the mob out.
Palmer fought back tears when he faced the federal judge who sentenced him to more than five years in prison. He said he was devastated by what he had done.
Palmer was sentenced to the longest prison term for any rioter so far after he apologized to the judge.
Judges are hearing tears from rioters who paid a price for joining the insurrection, as well as excuses from others who tried to downplay the attack on a seat of American democracy.
The punishment phase of the Justice Department's investigation has begun. 71 people have been sentenced for riot-related crimes. A company CEO, an architect, a retired Air Force colonel, a gym owner, a former Houston police officer, and a University of Kentucky student are included. Many rioters lost jobs and friends after their mob of Donald Trump loyalists disrupted the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory.
Sixty-six of the 71 pleaded guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. According to an Associated Press tally of every sentencing, most of them were sentenced to home confinement or jail time. Rioters who assault police officers have been in prison for years.
With hundreds of people charged, the Justice Department has taken heat for not coming down harder on some rioters, and it has failed to charge anyone with sedition or treason despite hints early on in the investigation. Lower-level cases tend to be easier to prosecute and usually get resolved before more complex ones.
Most of the 165 people who have pleaded guilty have been convicted of crimes that carry a maximum sentence of six months. Dozens of cases involving more serious offenses are still moving through the system. More than 220 people have been charged with assault or obstruction of law enforcement officers at the Capitol. Three of them have been sentenced to prison since November.
The District of Columbia federal court has a lot of cases. The FBI is still looking for more people who have been charged. The members of the far-right group are accused of scheming attacks to obstruct Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election. Their cases have not yet gone to trial.
The rioters always say that they were caught up in the moment or just following the crowd into the Capitol. They didn't see any damage. They thought police were letting them in. They went there to protest peacefully.
Their excuses are often wrong. Thousands of hours of videos from cameras, phones and police body cameras captured them enjoying the chaos. Many bragged about their crimes on social media after the attack.
Judge Amy Berman Jackson said that President Trump's speech on Jan. 6stoked the flames of fear and discontent. She told Russell James that he had to take responsibility for his actions.
No one was swept away to the Capitol. No one was carried. The rioters were adults according to Jackson.
The judges who sentenced the 71 rioters were nominated by Trump. Thirty-one defendants have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment or to jail time already served, including 22 who received sentences of three months or less, according to the AP tally. 18 more defendants have been sentenced to home confinement. The remaining 22 have been sentenced.
A genuine display of contrition before or during a sentencing hearing can help a rioter avoid a jail cell. The judges often cite remorse as a factor in their decisions.
Chutkan couldn't tell if Palmer's remorse was genuine.
The judge said he couldn't look into your heart or mind. The way you conduct your life after this case will speak volumes about whether you are truly remorseful.
In June, Anna Morgan-Lloyd told the Senior Judge that she was ashamed of the violence at the Capitol. A day after the riot, the Indiana woman told Laura Ingraham that people were very polite and that she didn't believe the attack was an insurrection.
Her inconsistency was noticed byLamberth. The judge said his hopes have been dashed because of Morgan-Lloyd's Fox interview that conflicted with her contrite statements.
One of the six cases in which prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of no home confinement was that of Dona Sue Bissey. Chutkan sentenced her to 14 days in jail. The judge questioned if she was truly remorseful because she bragged about her participation in the riot.
Chutkan, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said there must be consequences for taking part in a mass attempt to stop the certification of the presidential election.
The defendants sentenced on January 6 have been sentenced to jail or prison. She handed down a harsher sentence in all but one of the cases.
The four rioters who were sentenced by the Chief Judge were given three months of home detention after prosecutors recommended jail terms. The Justice Department used strong language to describe rioters' actions, but it was questioned by an Obama nominee.
She said that it was odd for prosecutors to recommend a three-month jail sentence for a man who was involved in a riot.
The public in the United States is confused about whether the January 6th incident at the Capitol was a criminal act or a simple violation of the law, as Howell said during the sentencing.
The judge who sentenced Camper to 60 days in prison for a minor offense said that his presence in the mob helped create the "Moat for Violence" and provided safety for violent rioters even though he didn't attack law enforcement officers.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly told Camper that violence is not an acceptable way to resolve political differences.
Some judges have rejected prosecutors' recommendations. It's almost unheard of for first-time offenders to get jail time for non-violent crimes, according to a Trump nominee. A short jail term for Glen Wes Lee Croy would be the best way to ensure that the Colorado man stays on a law-abiding path.
There are many unresolved cases. Dozens of people linked to extremist groups have been charged with conspiring to carry out coordinated attacks on the Capitol, including more than 20 defendants tied to the anti-government Oath Keepers and at least 16 connected to the far-right Proud Boys.
Five people associated with the Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty. One Proud Boys member has pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. None of them have been sentenced.
There are 20 trials scheduled in the year 2022. Judges are busy with guilty pleas and sentencings.
Anthony Mariotto, a Florida man who was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for entering the Capitol, said he got caught up in the moment but knows he broke the law.
Mariotto was hoping that the election would be stopped. I wish Joe Biden would have won. This wouldn't have happened.
He won by 7 million, said Judge Reggie Walton.
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Billeaud and Whitehurst reported from Phoenix and Salt Lake City, respectively.
