A rioter, photographed with his feet on Nancy Pelosi’s desk, was found guilty on eight counts by a jury Monday on January 6th.
Richard Barnett, 62, also known as “Bigo”, was charged with eight federal crimes on January 6, 2021, for his actions at the U.S. Capitol, including entering and staying in a prohibited area with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and obstructing an official prosecution.
Barnett will be sentenced in early May and will be released under house arrest by then with a GPS ankle monitor.
He faces up to 20 years in prison for obstructing a formal prosecution.
The jury debated for several hours before reaching their verdict.
Barnett’s attorney, Joseph McBride, told reporters after the verdict that his client did not receive a fair trial because Washington DC was “not a state” and consisted mainly of “Biden voters”.
“We’re not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with DC or the jurors.” said McBride.
“We’re saying that no one here wants to talk, that we believe the big elephant in the room is politics, and that political considerations about this case have damaged the jury pool beyond fair trial.”
Barnett was caught on security camera entering Pelosi’s office space on January 6, according to court documents. He was photographed with his boot propped up on a table and the flag hanging nearby.
During the trial, Barnett testified that he was pushed into the Capitol Building during the riot and sought a place to use the toilet inside the building, admiring all the artwork along the way.
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“I wasn’t part of this protest, I was pushed in,” Barnett said in his statement, which he described as “exaggerated”.
According to court documents, Barnett tucked a stun gun inside his pants while in Pelosi’s office. Barnett said he believed it no longer worked because he had washed himself in the shower during the trial.