Jan. 6 defendant who crushed an officer with a protect is sentenced to over 7 years in jail

WASHINGTON — A person who crushed D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges with a police protect on Jan. 6 was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in federal jail on Friday.

Patrick McCaughey IIIwho was dubbed #ThePinman by on-line sleuths, was current throughout a few of the worst violence contained in the decrease west tunnel, the spot the place presidents emerge throughout inauguration ceremonies. McCaughey was sentenced by Decide Trevor McFadden, a Donald Trump appointee who beforehand delivered the only full acquittal for a Jan. 6 defendant so far and has imposed extra lenient sentences than different judges within the Capitol riot circumstances.

Federal prosecutors sought a sentence of greater than 15 years — 188 months — in federal jail, which might have damaged the document for the longest sentence in a Jan. 6 case: the 10-year sentence given to former New York Metropolis Police Division officer Thomas Webster.

McCaughey confronted a bench trial earlier than Decide McFadden alongside David Mehaffie of Ohio and Tristan Stevens of Florida. McCaughey was convicted on each rely in September, was ordered detained after the verdict and has been in custody ever since. Mehaffie was sentenced to 14 months in federal prisonwhereas Stevens was sentenced to five years at a listening to wherein he rattled off a number of conspiracy theories.

McCaughey’s authorized group said that his actions have been “motivated by a misunderstanding as to the details surrounding the 2020 election” and that he “knew subsequent to nothing in regards to the 2020 election and listened to sources of knowledge that have been clearly false.”

Prosecutors argued {that a} prolonged sentence was justified by McCaughey’s violent actions on Jan. 6. They famous that McCaughey urged police to “go residence” earlier than scaling the scaffolding that had been arrange for Joe Biden’s inauguration. He then took a selfie picture that he despatched to buddies again residence in Connecticut, earlier than becoming a member of the mob within the tunnel and utilizing the stolen police protect towards Hodges.

Hodges, who has spoken out about being attacked in the course of the Capitol riot, together with earlier than the Jan. 6 Committee, learn a statement at Friday’s sentencing.

“At a time after we are struggling to area sufficient police to keep up public security, Mr. McCaughey took half in an assault that eliminated 50 officers from obligation,” Hodges mentioned, based on the assertion. “That’s 50 officers that now not have my again after I’m on a name, 50 officers that may now not defend town, and 50 officers that received’t be there the subsequent time a would-be dictator decides to strive his luck towards these United States.”

Hodges beforehand testified at trial about being crushed by the police protect.

“As there are such a lot of folks pushing ahead on that one object, a tough object, unyielding, pushing into you, doing what it’s designed to do, is repel a physique, however getting used on the police,” Hodges testified. “It’s a lot larger. It’s rigid. There’s no good technique to combat again towards it, actually. It simply — you need to endure the strain that it creates.”

McCaughey, prosecutors argued, confirmed “an absolute disregard for the rule of regulation coupled with a willingness to incite and interact in violence.” A prolonged sentence was additionally wanted to “deter others from not solely committing the crime however taking the stand and fascinating in dishonesty.”

In a letter to the courtroom, McCaughey’s sister wrote that her brother has been radicalized due to their father, who solely performed two TV channels of their residence: “Fox Information and Turner Basic Motion pictures.” Issues “would get ugly” when you disagreed with the elder McCaughey, she wrote, writing that her father tried “to transform everybody round him to the glory that was Donald Trump to him.” McCaughey’s sister famous that her brother’s “total livelihood trusted having a superb relationship with my father.”

Fox Information, which has come up in a number of circumstances towards Jan. 6 defendants, was sued by the voting machine firm Dominion over its protection of false claims in regards to the firm, and the case is currently headed to trial. Discovery within the case has revealed that many Fox Information personalities knew at the time that Trump’s claims about voter fraud have been bogus.

“I consider my father’s dedication to ignoring all points that didn’t curiosity him, and his tendency to chop out those that disagreed with him compelled my brother to adapt to his pursuits as soon as once more and subsequently, radicalize himself too. I firmly consider that my brother wouldn’t have gone thus far to the intense with out his must domesticate a optimistic relationship with my father, and that he wouldn’t have been anyplace close to the Capitol constructing on January 6, 2021 with out my father’s fervor a couple of ‘stolen election,’” Maria McCaughey wrote.

“My little brother is a good keeled, clever, and odd particular person, however he’s additionally only a child who desires his dad to not solely love him, however to love him, and he would do something to make that occur,” she added.

McCaughey’s grandmother wrote that he advised her “that he was a DUMMY to have been current on January sixth in Washington,” whereas his mom famous that McCaughey’s father was “a fervent Trump supporter and ‘anti-masker’.”

“His father was fairly clear about his expectations that Patrick wanted to evolve to his needs and Patrick additionally began to consider that the election was ‘stolen,’ that Trump was the answer for all woes of this nation, and that each one ‘patriots’ wanted to indicate their assist. My son would haven’t pushed alone to the rally on January sixth,” his mom wrote.

About 1,000 Jan. 6 rioters have been arrested by the FBI within the greater than two years for the reason that Capitol assault. On-line sleuths have identified hundreds of additional rioterstogether with greater than 100 who’re at the moment featured on the FBI’s Capitol Violence web site. Authorities have indicated that roughly 1,000 further circumstances may very well be introduced ahead earlier than the statute of limitations expires in early 2026.

Earlier this week, a decide sentenced Logan Barnhart — a rioter who dragged a police officer down the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 6 — to a few years in federal jail, whereas Robert Sanford — who assaulted officers with a hearth extinguisher — acquired 4 years. Josiah Kenyonwho additionally assaulted regulation enforcement officers within the tunnel, was sentenced to 6 years.