It is the longest sentence to date for anyone who has participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol. It was received by a Pennsylvania welder, Peter Schwartz, who will serve 14 years and two months in prison.
Schwartz, who already had a criminal record, was convicted of attacking police officers with a chair and pepper spray while storming the Capitol. Schwartz was on parole the day of the attack. If that wasn't enough, he had a prior criminal history of 38 convictions over the last 30 years.
Judge breaks records
This is not the first time that DC District Judge Amit Mehta has sent January 6 participants to prison. Nor is this the first time he has broken the record for the longest sentence for that episode: in September of last year he sentences Thomas Webster, a retired New York police officer, to 10 years behind bars.
Webster was found guilty of trespassing and attacking an officer with a metal pole. Mehta said that the officer was not Webster's only victim, but that "the other victim was democracy, and that is not something that can be taken lightly."
Mehta seems to be aware of his record, as he has accused prosecutors of being dramatic for requesting a sentence of more than 24 years. According to the judge, that would be a jail term 2.5 times longer than the longest so far, which was the one he handed down to Webster.
Regret
Before hearing his sentence, Schwartz asked for forgiveness. "I do sincerely regret the damage that Jan. 6 has caused to so many people and their lives," he said, according to AP. The judge did not believe him."That day you took it upon yourself to injure several policemen," Mehta said.
Like Schwartz, more than 1,000 others have been charged with federal crimes for the events of that day. Of these, 500 have been convicted, most with prison sentences.
Government's Sentencing Memorandum - Peter Schwartz by Santiago Adolfo Ospital on Scribd
