A Montana state man was sentenced to three years and two months in prison for his role in the attack on the US Capitol, where he was one of the first people to illegally enter the building, it was announced Wednesday.
Joshua Hughes, of East Helena, Montana, was sentenced Tuesday in Washington by US District Judge Timothy J. Kelly to 38 months in prison for his actions during the approximately 38 minutes he was inside the Capitol.
Hugo, 39 years old, He was also sentenced to pay 2,000 dollars (about 1,900 euros) compensation for participating in the insurrection, which occurred on January 6, 2021, when supporters of the then US president, Republican Donald Trump, sought to prevent the certification of the electoral victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential elections.
The judge considered the invasion of the Capitol “a national shame”according to Hughes’ attorney, Palmer Hoovestal, to the Montana State Independent Record newspaper.
Without the peaceful transfer of power in a democratic manner, we have nothing. The [o juiz] I wanted to send a message of general deterrence to the people that anyone interfering with the peaceful transfer of power does so at their own risk,” he added.
Joshua Hughes and his brother, Jerod Hughes, 37, pleaded guilty in August to obstructing official proceedings.
The brothers entered the building through a broken window and Jerod Hughes helped open a door to allow other protesters into the Capitol, while Congress certified Biden’s victory, says the US Federal Police. (FBI) in the charging documents.
Joshua and Jerod were leading a group that was chasing a Capitol policeman who was trying to lead the crowd away from the Senate compound. Later, the brothers reached the upper house of the United States Congress, court records add.
Jerod Hughes will serve his sentence on January 6, 2023, the date that marks two years since the invasion.
More than 880 participants in this attack were arrested and hundreds sentenced to varying degrees. Donald Trump is the subject of a parliamentary investigation to determine his responsibility in the invasion.
Trump moves forward with court case to avoid testifying before Congress about the January 6 attack
Source: Observadora
