Arkansas man found guilty of 8 counts in Capitol insurrection, faces up to 20 years in prison.
Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was photographed putting his feet on a desk inside then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the January 6, 2021, insurrection, was found guilty on eight counts by a Washington, DC, jury Monday. Barnett was charged with eight federal crimes, including entering and remaining in a restricted area with a deadly or dangerous weapon and obstructing an official proceeding. He faces up to 20 years in prison for the top charge.
The jury deliberated for a few hours before reaching the verdict, with Barnett showing no reaction as the forewoman read the guilty verdict aloud. After the verdict, Barnett’s lawyer Joseph McBride said his client had not received a fair trial, saying that Washington, DC, is “not a state” and made up primarily of “Biden voters.”
Barnett was caught on video surveillance entering Pelosi’s office area the afternoon of January 6, according to court documents. He was also photographed with his boot propped on a desk and the flag draped nearby. During the trial, Barnett testified he was pushed into the Capitol during the riot and was looking for a place to use the restroom inside the building. Barnett was combative with prosecutors during his testimony, and prosecutors later accused him of lying and being “belligerent.”
According to court documents, Barnett had a stun gun tucked in his pants when he was inside Pelosi’s office. Barnett said during the trial that he believed it no longer worked because it was washed in the shower. On January 6, Barnett was recorded saying he didn’t steal an envelope he had taken from inside the Capitol, adding that he wrote Pelosi a note calling her a “b***h.” Barnett’s lawyers argued that he wrote the word “biatch,” not “b***h,” which they said was “slang” and “less offensive.”
Richard Barnett was found guilty on eight counts by a Washington, DC, jury on Monday. He was charged with eight federal crimes relating to his actions at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, including entering and remaining in a restricted area with a deadly or dangerous weapon and obstructing an official proceeding. Barnett faces up to 20 years in prison for the top charge and will be sentenced in early May. His lawyer has argued that his client did not receive a fair trial due to political considerations. Barnett was caught on video surveillance entering Pelosi’s office area and was also photographed with his boot propped on a desk and the flag draped nearby. He had a stun gun tucked in his pants when he was inside Pelosi’s office and was recorded saying he wrote Pelosi a note calling her a “b***h.” Barnett’s lawyers argued that he wrote the word “biatch,” not “b***h.”
News Source