A New York man who was involved in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol will not be going to prison after a federal judge sentenced him to home confinement and two years of supervised release.
The charge of parading, picketing, or demonstrating inside the Capitol grounds was pleaded guilty to by the man.
One count each of knowingly entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct was faced by the accountant. As the government works to prosecute the more than 760 people arrested in connection to the attack, federal prosecutors have offered several non-violent Capitol rioters the lesser parading charge in exchange for their guilty pleas.
He made headlines earlier this week when he said he lost his PreCheck after he was arrested and that he was barred from several platforms. An attorney for the man made claims in a sentencing memo. The document laid out a list of consequences that McAuliffe claims to have suffered in the year since the Capitol siege, including the loss of professional clients and investment partnerships.
During the Friday sentencing hearing, Richard D. Collins told the court that his client has spent the last year reflecting on the decisions that led him to the Capitol.
According to his lawyer, McAuliffe is trying to rebuild his relationship with his wife, who filed for separation after the siege, and rebuild trust with his former clients.
Collins said that this is a story of redemption.
In the end, US District Judge Royce Lamberth was seemingly persuaded, rejecting federal prosecutors request for a split sentence of 14 days in prison and three years of parole, and sentencing McAuliffe to 60 days of home detention and three years of parole. The sentence also comes with social media restrictions for him, and he will have to pay $500 for damages to the Capitol building.
On January 6, prosecutors say, McAuliffe posted photos and comments from the Capitol. In a Facebook comment, he admitted that he was in a lawmaker's office during the siege. According to charging documents, some people were smoking a joint in the room.
Multiple people contacted the FBI and identified him as a participant in the riot after he posted on Facebook. According to court records, McAuliffe deleted his Facebook account after the attack.
According to WUSA, in court on Friday, his client could still face a challenge to his New York CPA license because of the federal misdemeanor.
The outlet reported that after handing down the sentence, the judge warned the man to stay out of trouble.
The events of January 6 will stain our country forever according to an attorney for McAuliffe.
Collins said that the courts meting out justice on those involved was done today with respect to Mr. McAuliffe.
He said that he hopes that the nation moves forward toward healing.
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