Jan. 6 rioter with 'I heart TRUMP' hat and a Confederate flag gets prison for assaults on officers [View all]

Source: NBC News

April 22, 2024, 3:41 PM EDT


WASHINGTON — A Jan. 6 defendant who brought a Confederate flag to the Capitol and wore an "I ❤️ TRUMP" beanie as he assaulted police officers with chemical spray, partially blinding two of them for hours, was sentenced to 30 months in prison on Monday.

Isreal Easterday, 23, was arrested in Florida in December 2022 and was found guilty in October on several counts, including felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting officers.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg sentenced Easterday to 30 months in prison as well as 500 hours of community service, along with $2,000 in restitution.

The government sought 151 months — or more than 12.5 years — in federal prison for Easterday, saying his "felonious conduct" was "part of a massive riot that almost succeeded in preventing the certification vote from being carried out, frustrating the peaceful transition of Presidential power, and throwing the United States into a Constitutional crisis."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jan-6-rioter-heart-trump-hat-confederate-flag-gets-prison-assaults-off-rcna148840