A man from Arkansas who was photographed with his feet propped up on a desk at the then-office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a protest on Jan. 6, 2021 was sentenced to four and half years in prison on Wednesday.
Richard “Bigo’ Barnett, who was indicted in January 2023 on eight counts, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceedings, and felony charges, was found guilty of all of them.
The federal prosecutors requested that the judge sentence Barnett to seven years imprisonment followed by three years of supervision for his actions on the 6th January protest.
The sentence was four and a quarter years in prison, followed by three years of supervision.
Barnett reclining at a desk inside Pelosi’s office was one of the most memorable pictures from the events that took place on Jan. 6, 2102
The protest took place on the day Congress held a joint session in order to certify Biden’s election victory.
Barnett said that during the trial he had been looking for a restroom in the Capitol, when he accidentally entered Pelosi’s office. He then encountered two journalists.
He said that one of the photographers had told him to “act naturally,” so he sat back and placed his legs on the desk.
Bennett was asked by defense attorney Joseph McBride if he had a clue that his actions could get him into trouble.
Barnett responded, “I was only in the moment.” Barnett replied, “I was just in the moment.”
Barnett, according to prosecutors, was also armed with an electric stun gun hidden in his pants at the time he stormed Capitol Hill and entered Pelosi’s office. Barnett, according to prosecutors, took Pelosi’s mail, and wrote “Nancy, Bigo” on it.
Barnett, using a loudspeaker, gave a speech as he left Capitol grounds. He shouted, “We have taken back our home, and I have taken Nancy Pelosi’s office,” according to prosecutors.
Over 940 people were charged with federal crimes in relation to the attack on Jan. 6, and 500 have already pleaded guilty.
Barnett was one of more than a dozen defendants who went to trial.
Barnett is a retired Firefighter, aged 62. He hails from Gravette in Arkansas. He regrets having come to Washington, where Donald Trump spoke in front of a crowd at the “Stop the Steal rally”.
