Authorities assert that Michael Sparks was among the group that confronted Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman.
By Peter Hermann, The Washington PostMichael Sparks, the first rioter to enter the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, leaves federal court on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, in Washington.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly sentenced Sparks to four years and four months in prison, slightly less than the four years and seven months prosecutors had sought. The felonies the jury convicted him on were obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder. Court documents show Sparks has been freed on personal recognizance since his arrest in Kentucky in January 2021.
threatening to shoot — screaming, “This is our America! This is our America” while wearing black gloves imprinted with the image of a skeleton. as authorities said another rioter was simultaneously breaking an adjacent window with a two-by-four beam.Michael Sparks, left, and Kevin Seefried, second from left, as they and other rioters loyal to President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
The attorney disputed an account from prosecutors that Sparks and others “chased” Goodman, saying they followed as Goodman led them away from a corridor that led to the Senate chambers and to an area where additional police officers were stationed. Wendelsdorf wrote that Sparks never threatened Goodman, that Sparks protected him from being attacked by another protester and that in early accounts to the FBI, Goodman did not describe Sparks as a threat.
Prosecutors said Sparks and others entered the Capitol one floor above where Pence and senators were in session. In a criminal complaint, the FBI said a video published by The Post shows Sparks with a group of protesters inside the Capitol.
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