Former NYPD officer gets 10 years in prison for Jan. 6 attack, longest sentence to date

A retired New York police officer who swung a steel pole at a Washington officer throughout the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in jail, the longest sentence thus far in a case associated to the riot.

Retired officer Thomas Webster was the primary individual charged in reference to the riot to defend himself earlier than a jury with an argument of self-defence. He was discovered responsible in Might of all of the felony costs he confronted, together with assault.

On Thursday, Choose Amit P. Mehta of america District Courtroom for the District of Columbia advised Mr. Webster: “I feel you had been caught at one level, and as you effectively know, even being caught sooner or later has penalties. .”

One other man charged within the Jan. 6 riot pleaded responsible on Thursday to assaulting legislation enforcement officers with pepper spray. The person, Julian Elie Khater of Somerset, NJ, who was charged final yr with taking part in an assault on Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, has pleaded responsible to 2 felony costs in a part of a plea cope with federal prosecutors.

Mr Khater, 33, was accused of working with a pal, George Tanios, to douse Officer Sicknick with chemical spray as the gang marched by police, who had been behind bike rack limitations from the west aspect of the Capitol. Whereas preliminary reviews instructed Constable Sicknick died of his accidents after the assault, an post-mortem later decided that he died of pure causes, having suffered a number of strokes.

Mr. Khater faces as much as eight years in jail. Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Mr Khater, mentioned it was “inappropriate to remark at the moment” as a result of future sentencing date.

Mr. Webster’s lawyer, James E. Monroe, didn’t reply to a name in search of touch upon Thursday.

Mr. Webster’s conviction and Mr. Khater’s responsible plea got here practically 20 months after the January 6, 2021 assault, which sparked a sprawling Justice Division legal investigation. Prosecutors have launched into the marathon means of making an attempt greater than 800 folks arrested in reference to the riot.

Mr Webster’s sentence was longer than that of any of the defendants who’ve gone to trial or entered into plea bargains thus far. As of Thursday, two convicted rioters had the longest sentences at seven years and three months: Thomas Robertson, one other former police officer and Military veteran who prosecutors mentioned clashed with police on the Capitol; and Man Wesley Reffitt, the primary defendant to face trial within the Capitol assault.

Mr Webster’s responsible verdict earlier this yr was returned by a jury inside two hours of the primary full day of deliberations. A former Marine who as soon as served in New York Metropolis Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s safety job power, Mr. Webster turned himself in to legislation enforcement final yr. His trajectory as a retired officer modified dramatically on January 6, when he sparked a battle that stood out even amid hours of violent footage that day.

The movies present Mr. Webster rising from the gang, yelling expletives and berating officers on the barricade. He’s seen repeatedly pushing over the barricades, then swinging a pole at Officer Noah Rathbun earlier than crossing the police line and tackling the officer. On Twitter, customers dubbed Mr. Webster #EyeGouger.

Mr Webster advised a special story to the jury, saying Officer Rathbun provoked him with a quick wave earlier than throwing a punch that hit him like a ‘freight prepare’.

Prosecutors, nevertheless, mentioned the footage forged doubt on that account.

Proof within the case means that Mr. Webster had been swept up in weeks of on-line claims that the election had been stolen – a lie fueled by former President Donald J. Trump that sparked a motion that has shattered democratic norms and disrupted the peaceable switch of energy.

Mr Webster’s week-long trial addressed a stark paradox from January 6: Whereas many within the crowd had been staunch police supporters, dozens of individuals had been in the end charged with assaulting officers. His lengthy sentence may additionally give pause to different defendants who deliberate to make use of related arguments in their very own trials.

On the witness stand earlier this yr, Mr Webster mentioned when he attacked a fellow legislation enforcement officer ‘it was virtually like a task reversal’.

“I felt like I used to be the cop and he was the protester,” he added.

On Thursday, Choose Mehta advised Mr Webster that whereas he served his nation as a Marine and a police officer, he ‘blew all of it up in 46 seconds’.

Mr. Khater, the rioter who pleaded responsible on Thursday, had attended Mr. Trump’s rally close to the Ellipse after which joined the pro-Trump crowd on the Capitol, prosecutors mentioned. His pal, Mr. Tanios, had bought two canisters of pepper spray and two canisters of pepper spray earlier than heading to Washington, in accordance with the Justice Division.

Mr. Khater, who had no less than one canister of pepper spray with him, approached inside just a few toes of the bike rack limitations, prosecutors mentioned. As the gang moved away from the limitations, Mr. Khater got here inside eight toes of the Capitol officers and sprayed Officer Sicknick within the face, prosecutors mentioned.

Mr. Khater then “continued to deploy the spray” as he superior on different Capitol Law enforcement officials, spraying two extra straight within the face, the Justice Division mentioned in an announcement.

“All three officers sustained bodily accidents within the pepper spray assault and had been incapacitated and unable to carry out their duties,” the division mentioned.

Mr. Khater and Mr. Tanios had been arrested in March 2021. Mr. Tanios pleaded responsible in July to offenses below his personal settlement with prosecutors and shall be sentenced on December 6. Mr. Khater is anticipated to be sentenced on December 13. .

Alain Feuer contributed report.