January 6 Trials: 4 Oath Keepers and Arkansas Man Who Placed Feet on Nancy Pelosi's Desk Convicted
Hundreds of people stood trial for the January 6 insurrection, and two of the most high-profile cases involved several members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and the infamous Arkansas man who placed his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk.
A Washington D.C. jury convicted the well-known January 6 insurrectionist Richard "Bigo" Barnett of eight counts. These include felony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.
According to USA Today, Barnett made a name for himself by breaking into then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office before propping up both his feet on top of one of the desks there.
Barnett claimed that he left Pelosi a "nasty" note inside the desk. He also stated he took a personalized envelope from her office and left a quarter so his actions would not have been classified as theft. Despite this, he was still convicted of theft of government property.
READ NEXT: Proud Boys Attack on January 6 Was Coordinated
January 6 Insurrectionist Richard 'Bigo' Barnett Not Happy With Conviction
Richard "Bigo" Barnett's sentencing is scheduled on May 3. However, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper also allowed the infamous Trump supporter to remain free until his sentencing under certain conditions.
After the verdict, Barnett spoke to the press and noted that he would appeal his conviction, saying it was an "injustice." He told reporters, "This is not a jury of my peers."
That is despite the judge not siding with prosecutors who asked to keep Barnett in jail as he awaits sentencing. Their grounds were that the insurrectionist took a weapon into the office of the sitting Speaker of the House on January 6.
"We can only imagine what would have happened if (Pelosi) had been there at the time," said Justice Department prosecutor Alison Prout.
In his testimony, Barnett claimed he unwittingly entered Pelosi's office as he tried looking for the bathroom.
There, he also claimed that he encountered two photographers who told him to "act natural," resulting in his infamous and viral photo, according to the Associated Press.
4 Members of Far-Right Extremist Group Oath Keepers Also Convicted
The Barnett conviction happened on Monday when four other high-profile insurrectionists were also convicted.
However, these men were members of the far-right group, Oath Keepers, and they had a more serious case than the Arkansas man.
In a major victory for the Justice Department, Oath Keepers Joseph Hackett of Sarasota, Florida; Roberto Minuta of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel of Punta Gorda, Florida; and Edward Vallejo of Phoenix, Arizona were all convicted of seditious conspiracy charges.
That was the latest conviction of such a rare case since their leader and founder, Stewart Rhodes, was also convicted of the same crime.
The verdict came after 12 hours of deliberation from the jury. They could face up to 20 years in prison for that specific crime if convicted.
The Associated Press noted that all four men were also convicted of other crimes, including two conspiracy charges and a charge of obstructing an official proceeding.
However, Minuta, Hackett, and Moerschel were also acquitted of lesser charges. No sentencing date has been set for them yet.
The Justice Department has charged nearly a thousand people in the Capitol riot, and about 500 people have reportedly pleaded guilty to riot-related charges.
READ MORE: Oath Keepers Founder Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Oath Keepers Trial: Four More Members Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy In January 6 Case - From Forbes Breaking News
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