New York, Sep 2 : A federal jury in New York has sentenced an ex-police officer an unprecedented 10-year prison sentence for assaulting law enforcement officers during the January 6 2021 Capitol protests, reports the press on Friday.The jury handed down the sentence on Thursday 56-year-old Thomas Webster who was convicted in May of multiple charges that included assaulting police officers and disorderly and violent conduct, according to the BBC.
While more than 860 people have been arrested for the involvement in the violence so far this is the longest jail term for anyone in the fight in the revolt.
The jury in the federal court had earlier denied Webster’s claim that he was acting in self-defense when he struck a flagpole of metal at an officer, and then threw another on the ground putting Webster in an imprisoned position.
In his pre-sentencement documents the Marine Corps veteran disavowed former President Donald Trump’s claim that the presidential election in 2020 was rigged and also included an official note of recommendation from a close friend who claimed that Webster for the Republican politician’s “despicable lies” for provoking Webster’s behavior.
The court however accepted to extend the final 36-months of Webster’s sentence in defense of his 25 years of service as an officer in the police force as well as a soldier.
According to the Justice Department, the investigation into the Capitol protests is one of the largest and most complex investigations it has ever undertaken according to the BBC reported.
As of now the Department has issued more than 5,000 subpoenas.
the Department has seized more than 220 electronic devices and analyzed more than 22,000 hours of video footage.
So far more than 160 individuals have admitted guilt in the courtroom.
The violence has left at nine dead.
.
