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A Florida man who posed carrying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s podium during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to 75 days in prison on Friday.
Adam Johnson was sentenced by US District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, who said Johnson made “a mockery” of the events by grabbing Speaker Pelosi’s lectern and played an active role in the attack, reported NBC News.
The judge said he could not overlook Johnson’s behavior, which he said was deserving of a period of incarceration.
Prosecutors played videos of Johnson joining in the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol. They told Walton he watched as other rioters crushed police and yelled that a bust of President George Washington should be used as a battering ram. Before taking Pelosi’s podium because he thought it would “make a good prop” for a photo, Johnson attempted to enter her offices, but found them locked.
“He wasn’t a mere tourist,” assistant U.S. attorney Jessica Arco said. “He was part of a mob that, in his own words, was trying to overthrow the government.”
Johnson himself offered a short statement, telling Walton he was “truly apologetic” and that he’d gone to D.C. on Jan. 6 because he believed a civil war was coming. He also said he held no ill will toward Pelosi and that if he ran into her, he would probably ask for a selfie.
Speaking to the court on Friday, Johnson said he’d been “nothing but cooperative” with the government since his arrest, and said his actions demonstrated that he was apologetic and was “ashamed” to have been part of the riot at the Capitol.
“We’re on a dangerous slide in America,” Walton said Friday, calling what happened on Jan. 6 something you’d expect to “see in banana republics.” During the sentencing, Walton asked Johnson how he could hold himself out as a good role model for his five children when he came to D.C. and did what he did on Jan. 6.
Walton ultimately agreed more with the DOJ’s assessment and sentenced Johnson to 75 days behind bars, a $5,000 fine and 200 hours of community service. Johnson will be required to serve a year under supervision following his release.
