A federal judge rejected the recommendation of the prosecutors and sentenced the Jan. 6 rioter on Friday to probation. He suggested that the Justice Department was too harsh on those who broke into Capitol as compared to people who were arrested during anti-racism protests after George Floyd’s death.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden questioned the reason federal prosecutors hadn’t brought more cases against those charged in 2020 summertime demonstrations. He also read statistics about riot cases in Washington that weren’t prosecuted.
McFadden stated that McFadden believed the U.S. Attorney would be more credible if it was fair-handed when it concerned riots or mobs in the city. McFadden spoke during Danielle Doyle’s sentencing. Doyle, along with other rioters, entered the Capitol Jan. 6. Doyle, who hails from Oklahoma, was recommended by the prosecution to be housed for two months.
McFadden’s statements, which McFadden was appointed by former President Donald Trump, marked a departure from other federal judges who have overseen insurrection cases, despite the fact that other Trump appointees are on the court responsible for hundreds of cases. They discussed the seriousness of this crime and its unique position in American history. This is different from violent free speech protests that sought to disrupt peaceful transition of power.
The Associated Press analyzed over 300 criminal cases arising from the protests that were incited by Floyd’s murder. This rebutted the argument that pro Trump defendants were treated harsher than Black Lives Matter protesters.
McFadden sentenced Doyle and said that he believed she was acting like looters or rioters last summer. Because looters and rioters decided that the law didn’t apply to them.
McFadden stated that Doyle’s actions were not to be excused despite these concerns. McFadden called it a national embarrassment and compared it again to the protests against police brutality that followed George Floyd’s death last year, which made him feel “less safe.”
On Friday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg sentenced Andrew Ryan Bennett to three months in home confinement. He accepted the request of prosecutors. Bennett was accused of spreading conspiracy theories regarding the election and using “pugnacious rhetoric” when posting about his plans for being in Washington. On Jan. 6, the mob attacked and beat an overpowered police force. They also ran for their lives, inflicting more than $1,000,000 damage on the building.
Bennett was told by the judge that “I cannot emphasize enough, as i’ve previously said, that peaceful transfer of power following an election is the cornerstone our democratic republic,”. “And what you did Jan. 6 was nothing but an attempt to undermine this system of government,” Bennett said.
Boasberg was appointed by former President Barack Obama to sentence Derek Jancart, and Erik Rau, Ohio friends, to 45 days imprisonment.
All three men pleaded guilty for misdemeanors that could result in a maximum six-month imprisonment. Bennett was not accused of engaging in violence or property damage, as Jancart and Rau were.
Bennett claimed he wasn’t thinking clearly and was “pumped on adrenaline” when joined the mob storming the Capitol. He had driven from Columbia, Maryland to Washington that morning.
He said, “What I did was wrong. I am responsible for what I did that day.”
Doyle was also not charged with violence in the mob. She spent 24 minutes in the building after climbing through a window that was broken. She assured the judge that she did not intend to harm anyone and was sorry that peaceful protests were disrupted by people breaking into the building.
She said, “I love this nation.” She said, “So many people came to represent things important to us, but in the blink a eye, all those things were overshadowed.” “I’m sorry for that, it overshadowed all the good things.”
A retired soldier from the U.S. Special Forces and a former Florida congressional candidate were also arrested in connection to the insurrection. Jeremy Brown was charged with a misdemeanor of entering restricted areas. FBI officials were shown photos of Brown wearing tactical gear at Capitol by an acquaintance. A rioter who pleaded guilty to the same charge also confirmed that Brown was present, according to court papers. According to Brown, federal officials called him and tried getting him to tell others.
Brown was a Republican running for Congress in 2020 in the 14th District. This includes Tampa and the surrounding areas. However, he dropped out of the race on March 2020.
