Richard "Bigo" Barnett achieved instant fame when he was filmed with his feet up on Nancy Pelosi's desk during the Jan. 6 sacking of U.S. Congress by Trump supporters. Convicted earlier this year of trespassing and other crimes, Barnett was sentenced to 4.5 years imprisonment.
Barnett was convicted on eight counts including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property after a trial earlier this year. A photo showing him seated at a desk in then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office became one of the most indelible images of Jan. 6. On Wednesday, he appeared in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before Judge Christopher Cooper, who handed down his sentence of 54 months. Prosecutors had sought a prison term of more than seven years, noting that Barnett admitted to entering the Capitol wielding a stun gun and carrying an American flag. Cooper seemed skeptical of some of the government's arguments and imposed a shorter sentence. Barnett addressed the court during Wednesday's sentencing hearing, saying he was "not proud" of his conduct but arguing it was not "threatening."
"They want me to be remorseful for things I did not do," he said at one point, adding that he plans to appeal his convictions and "wasn't treated fairly."
Prosecutors stressed that they were after him not for the feet-on-desk thing but for other alleged activities of the day, such as threatening police and vandalizing the office.
