A Florida stayed at home father of five, who appeared in an already iconic photo of the President of the Chamber Nancy Pelosiis a department during 6th of January US Capitol uprising was sentenced on Friday to 75 days in prison.
U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton also imposed $ 5,000 and $ 200 in community service on Adam Johnson, saying “a message must be sent.”
Johnson will appear in jail on a date to be determined.
Johnson, 37, who lives in Tampa and is married to a doctor, apologized for his actions and asked for leniency before the judge announced his sentence, which is one of the most serious so far for a riot crime.
“I am ashamed to be a part of this,” Johnson told the judge during Friday’s hearing.
Father Adam Johnson, 37, who stole Nancy Pelosi’s podium during the Capitol riot, was sentenced on Friday to 75 days in prison, a $ 5,000 fine and 200 hours of community service. )
Prosecutors said Johnson was “not an ordinary tourist” but rather “part of a crowd”. Johnson on top in front of a Capitol sign
He also claims that if he met spokeswoman Pelosi on the day of the uprising, he would ask her for a photo.
“If I find her, I’d ask her to take a selfie with her if there’s anything else,” Johnson said. “I have no grudge against her or her office at all.”
Johnson was arrested by Florida authorities within days of the January 6 uprising (pictured on January 8, 2021).
Johnson, who has five sons between the ages of 6 and 14, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to entering and staying in a building or restricted area.
The rebel happily placed Pelosi’s $ 1,000 podium in the center of the Capitol’s rotunda, posed for photos and pretended to deliver a speech, prosecutors said.
He later boasted that he had “broken the Internet” and “finally known”.
On Friday, Johnson insisted he was cooperating with the federal investigation and did nothing to cover up the evidence.
Prosecutors asked the judge to sentence Johnson to 90 days in prison.
“He was no ordinary tourist,” US Assistant Attorney General Jessica Arco told the court. He was part of a mob that he said was trying to overthrow the government.
Arco released a video from the Capitol showing Johnson trying to open the door to what he thought was Pelosi’s office.
Johnson’s lawyers asked the judge to sentence him to one year of probation, respecting the weekend he spent in prison after his arrest.
Defense attorneys said Johnson did not know Pelosi’s podium when he moved it from the locker room.
“It is possible that if he clings to some other government furniture for his ability to take pictures, prison would not even be a consideration,” they wrote in a court file.
Johnson and his wife have received death threats, his lawyers said.
“His wife’s medical practice has suffered financially and some of Adam’s oldest friends will no longer speak to him or his family,” they wrote.
Walton said America is on a dangerous path when many citizens believe that “they have the right to do anything to have the person they want in power sit in the White House.”
“This is what we see in the banana republics,” the judge said. “This is what we see in the countries we are experiencing now in Ukraine. We go there if we don’t do something to stop it. And I don’t know what we’re doing to stop it.
Johnson (surrounded in red during the riot) apologized for his actions, saying he felt “ashamed” and asked for leniency in light of his cooperation.
Johnson entered the Senate Wing with other protesters (left) and was seen in a smoky corridor (right) after the rebels tried to disrupt the House.
In a note on the verdict handed down before Friday’s hearing, prosecutors said Johnson showed a “sense of right and privilege.” Arguing for a “significant fine”, they noted that Johnson and his wife, who is a doctor, are in a financial situation so favorable that [he] has not had to work for the last 11 years. “
Johnson will receive credit for the time he has served, which will reduce his sentence to about 60 days.
The FBI has made more than 740 arrests in connection with the January 6 uprising, during which hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump tried to block Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory in November 2020 by storming the building. of the US Capitol.
Five people died on the day of the riot, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.
There are still more than 350 people wanted by the FBI in connection with the attack.
Federal investigators estimate that the total number of people who can be charged is more than 2,500.