Federal prosecutors are asking that the the Jan. 6 defendant whose “sense of entitlement and privilege” led to his entering the Capitol and taking possession of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern serve 90 days in prison for his alleged crime.
According to a 27-page sentencing memo filed by the U.S. attorney’s office in a Washington, D.C., District Court, Adam Johnson hasn’t had a job in 12 years because his wife, a doctor, is the family breadwinner. He stays at home with his five school-aged boys, the court was told. Feds are also asking that Johnson be sentenced to 60 hours of community service.
Johnson is also accused of boasting to friends and family that he was “finally famous” after photos went viral showing him and other Donald Trump loyalists sacking the U.S. Capitol after being falsely told by the former president that the election he lost had somehow been rigged.
“The defendant, Adam Johnson, traveled to Washington, D.C. from Florida and participated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol — a violent attack that forced an interruption of the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote count, threatened the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election, injured more than one hundred law enforcement officers, and resulted in more than $1 million in property damage,” reads one complaint against the 37-year-old Florida man.
Prosecutors list multiple reasons they feel Jackson should be locked up, including the fact he ran toward the Capitol once he heard it had been breached, tried opening a door he thought was Pelosi’s office, “temporarily stole and carried the Speaker’s podium to the Rotunda for a photo op,” made-up part of a “mob” that overwhelmed police, then deleted electronic evidence documenting his alleged actions.
While he is not accused of committing acts of violence, prosecutors note that Johnson spent 35 minutes in the nation’s capitol, where Trump loyalists wreaked havoc for nearly five hours. He appeared “defiant and righteous,” feds claim.
They also argue that Johnson’s “favorable” financial situation allowed him to hire a pair of prominent attorneys, which they say indicates he should be able to pay a “substantial fine.” His family is said to be worth $475,000 including $16,000 in cryptocurrency. Prosecutors say that should make professional child care an option if Johnson is incarcerated.
“The gravity of these offenses demands deterrence,” prosecutors added. “This was not a protest.”
NBC News reports that Johnson’s legal team said their client “deeply regrets” what he did and asked the court to “consider the significant and negative impact that incarceration would have on his sons.”
Johnson traveled to D.C. with a friend to participate in the events of Jan. 6, prosecutors said. After listening to speeches by Trump acolytes including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who called for “trial by combat,” Johnson ascended Capitol Hill and joined in the attack against Congress. In November, Johnson pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, for which the maximum sentence is a year in prison.
A sense of privilege certainly seemed to be on display in the case of Jenna Ryan, who was released from a prison camp last week after serving 60 days for her role in storming the Capitol. Before her sentencing, Ryan tweeted, “Definitely not going to jail. Sorry I have blonde hair white skin a great job a great future and I’m not going to jail. Sorry to rain on your hater parade. I did nothing wrong.”
The Texas real estate agent, who traveled to Washington, D.C., by private plane to attend the Jan. 6 Trump rally, tweeted that she had been deprived of “basic human needs” while incarcerated. That included having no access to a phone or “recreation.” Ryan also claimed she’s working on a show about “prison torture.”
When “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley was arrested in connection with entering the Capitol during the insurrection, his mom, with whom he lives in Arizona, worried he might not be able to get organic food in prison. A judge ruled in January 2021 that the 34-year-old man’s dietary needs would be met.
Video of a woman identifying herself as “Elizabeth” from Knoxville, Tennessee, went viral after Jan. 6 on account of her apparent shock at being by rebuked by law enforcement officers.
“I made it like a foot inside and they pushed me out, and they maced me!” she said.
When asked why she was trying to enter the Capitol, Elizabeth answered incredulously “We’re storming the Capitol. It’s a revolution.”
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