With friends like these, who needs enemies?
A pair of friends from Ohio were both sentenced to 45 days in jail for storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg sentenced Derek Jancart and Erik Rau after prosecutors had recommended four months of imprisonment for both men. They must report to jail by Nov. 29.
Both men pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
The sentences could pave the way for similar cases as the government is currently prosecuting over 600 people for their roles in the insurrection, a number that continues to grow.
Over 80 defendants have pleaded guilty to riot-related offenses, but only seven others besides Jancart and Rau have been sentenced so far.
Like most of the insurrectionists who have pleaded guilty so far, Jancart and Rau aren’t personally accused of engaging in any violence or destruction at the Capitol or of conspiring to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden‘s electoral victory. However, prosecutors successfully argued that both men were prepared for violence.
Jancart, an Air Force veteran, had brought a gas mask and two-way radios. Rau, a steel mill worker, brought a medical kit and Kevlar-lined gloves.
They said Jancart and Rau spent 40 minutes inside the Capitol, reaching House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s conference room. Jancart celebrated the violence on social media and didn’t show any remorse when the FBI arrested him, according to prosecutors.
They said Rau screamed, “We have you surrounded!” at police officers and shouted, “Go, go, go!” and “Yeah, they just pushed through the guards!” Those statements are “akin to inciting a riot and contributed to the environment of terror on that day,” prosecutors said.
“This was not a protest,” prosecutors wrote. “And it is important to convey to future rioters and would-be mob participants — especially those who intend to improperly influence the democratic process — that their actions will have consequences.”
Both men expressed remorse and apologized in court, however.
Two other rioters who have already pleaded guilty are expected to be sentenced later this week and more than 50 others are scheduled to be sentenced before the end of the year.
With News Wire Services
