The photo had gone around the world. An American immortalized with his feet on a table in Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi’s office during the attack on the Capitol was found guilty of multiple crimes on Monday. After a brief deliberation, the jury found Richard Barnett, 62, guilty to charges including obstructing an official process, robbery and entering an official building with a dangerous weapon (a walking stick capable of sending electric shocks).
On Jan. 6, 2021, he marched into the seat of Congress along with hundreds of supporters of former Republican President Donald Trump as elected officials certified Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
He was photographed by AFP in the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with his feet on a piece of furniture. The cliché had gone around the world and enabled the police to quickly arrest him.
Qanon conspirators
According to the indictment, this supporter of the Qanon conspiracy movement left the Democrat an insulting message and stole an envelope she signed. During his trial he was defiant, claiming to have been “pushed into the Capitol” by the crowd.
His verdict will be announced in May. In the meantime, he is under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. In a two-year investigation, more than 950 participants in the attack were arrested and almost 200 were sentenced to prison. On Monday, four militia officers from the Oath Keepers group were convicted of “incitement to hatred” and face up to 20 years in prison.