Probation and jail time for the Capitol rioter who put their foot on Nancy Pelosi’s desk
On Wednesday, a judge handed down a 4.5-year sentence to an Arkansas man who was pictured with his feet elevated on a desk in the office of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the protest on January 6, 2021.
Including felony accusations of civil disorder and obstruction of an official procedure, Richard “Bigo” Barnett was found guilty on all eight counts of his indictment in January 2023.
Federal prosecutors suggested that for his actions on January 6th, he receive a sentence of more than seven years in prison and three years of supervised release.
He was given a total of 4.5 years in jail, followed by 3 years of supervised release.
Barnett slouched at a desk in Pelosi’s office on January 6, 2021, and it became one of the day’s most iconic photos.
The demonstration took place on the same day that Congress met in special session to officially declare President Biden the winner of the election.
Barnett claimed in court that he had wandered into Pelosi’s office while looking for a restroom at the Capitol. There, he had spotted two press photographers.
He claimed that one of the photographers had told him to “act natural,” so he settled back in a chair and put his feet up on the desk.
Joseph McBride, the defense attorney, questioned Bennett about whether he was aware that what he was doing might land him in trouble.
“I was just in the moment,” Barnett explained. At this point, I’m just going with the flow.
Prosecutors also claimed that Barnett had a stun gun concealed in his pants during his attack on Pelosi’s office in the Capitol. Prosecutors claim that while inside, Barnett stole some mail addressed to Pelosi and left a message reading, “Nancy, Bigo was here.”
Prosecutors claim that as Barnett was leaving the Capitol grounds, he used a bullhorn to address the throng, declaring, “We took back our house, and I took Nancy Pelosi’s office.”
More than 500 people have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from the January 6 attack.
There were many defendants, including Barnett, on trial.
Gravette, Arkansas native and former firefighter Barnett, 62, has retired. He expressed sorrow for attending the “Stop the Steal” event in Washington, DC, where then-President Donald Trump spoke to a throng of his fans.