He is one of the most prominent defendants to be prosecuted for the storming of the US Capitol two years ago: Richard Barnett from Arkansas posed in the office of top politician Nancy Pelosi – with a checked jacket, baseball cap and a boot on her desk. The 62-year-old is now behind bars. A jury found him guilty on eight counts Monday in Washington.
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump, who was voted out at the time, stormed the Houses of Parliament in Washington to prevent Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory from being confirmed – several people died in connection with the attack. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech.
Barnett had a stun gun on him in the Capitol, which police only discovered after his arrest. He also stole a letter to a congressman and left a message to Pelosi with a sexist slur. The charges included entering a restricted area with a deadly weapon and stealing government property. He may have to go to prison for up to 47 years, according to a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office New York Times. As is customary in US criminal law, the verdict is to be announced at a later date. May 3rd is scheduled for this.
The jury also found four other members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia guilty of “seditious conspiracy,” a crime rarely tried before a court in US judicial history. The defendants were accused of having formed a conspiracy to prevent the democratic transfer of power by force. The men’s lawyers argued during the trial that the defendants were only following the leader of the militia. He was convicted in November, also for “seditious conspiracy”.