Leo Brent Bozell IV, the scion of a prominent family of conservative activists, was sentenced to 45 months in prison in a Washington, DC, federal court for his role in the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
During the insurrection, Bozell pushed past police, broke a windowpane in the Senate building, chased a Capitol Police officer toward the Senate chamber, and entered both then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and the Senate floor, according to prosecutors, as hundreds of Trump supporters sought to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.
“Without people like Mr Bozell, the riot doesn’t happen,” prosecutor Ashley Akers said during sentencing. “He himself facilitated access to the Capitol building for hundreds of other rioters,” she added.
The sentence from Judge John D Bates was considerably less than the more than 11 years the government sought in the case.
The federal judge held Friday that the sentence, including a terrorism enhancement sought by prosecutors, didn’t match the circumstances of Bozell’s crimes.
“I’m not sure that label is an appropriate label for the defendant to have to carry with him,” he said.
However, the judge condemned the 44-year-old’s conduct, alongside that of other January 6 participants.
“Not for a moment should January 6 rioters be considered true patriots,” Judge Bates said. “They’re not political prisoners. They’re not hostages.”
During Friday’s sentencing hearing, Bozell apologised and said his conduct “put a stain on my family forever.”
Bozell’s sentence also includes $4,727 in restitution.
The Pennsylvania man was convicted in September on 10 charges.
The January 6 riots marked the latest appearance of the Bozell family name in right-wing history.
Leo Leo Brent Bozell, Jr, ghost-wrote Arizona senator and presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s influential book The Conscience of a Conservative, while Leo Leo Brent Bozell, III, founded the Media Research Center, a group that monitored and critiqued liberal media.
