By Dareh Gregorian, Ryan J. Reilly and Daniel Barnes - NBC News
The Capitol assailant who was photographed with his feet on the desk of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was sentenced Wednesday to four and a half years in prison.
Federal prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Arkansas resident Richard "Bigo" Barnett to more than seven years for his actions before, during and after the Jan. 6, 2021, violence in the U.S. Congress.
Prosecutors said the image of Barnett smiling in the Democratic congresswoman's office became "one of the best-known images of that day, and a symbol of the assailants wresting control of both a sacred space and a political process from the nation's elected leaders."
Richard Barnett, a supporter of Donald Trump, in the office of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.AFP via Getty Images
Barnett's lawyers had argued that their client should not spend more than six months behind bars.
"Mr. Barnett is a 63-year-old retired firefighter and bull rider from a rural area in Arkansas who first visited D.C. to peacefully protest and, by misfortune, became embroiled in the events that turned an ordinary Wednesday into what will always be known as 'January 6,'" his attorneys said.
But U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper disagreed, sentencing him to 54 months in prison.
Barnett was indicted in January on eight counts stemming from the attack on the Capitol, including stealing government property — taking a document from Pelosi's office — and entering a building or restricted ground carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. In addition to a stun device, Barnett entered the Capitol armed with a ten-pound steel bat, prosecutors said.
Barnett, who became a widely known symbol of the unrest, acknowledged leaving what he later called an "unpleasant note" for Pelosi. It said, "Nancy, Bigo was here," and ended with an obscene, sexist word for the congresswoman.
Richard Barnett was charged with nine counts related to the Jan. 6, 2021, violence, before being sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday, May 24, 2023. AFP via Getty Images
Barnett expressed remorse for his actions when he stepped into the witness stand in his own defense. "I shouldn't have put my feet on the desk," he told the jury. "At the time I thought it was funny," he said, but upon reflection, he found it "rude."
Prosecutors said in response that "Barnett was aware of the significance of January 6, 2021. He believed that communists would take over America if President-elect Biden became president and was prepared to do 'whatever it takes' (as he said on social media), including occupying the Capitol, to prevent it."
After his arrest, "Barnett sought to profit from his notoriety and criminal conduct," including selling autographed photographs of himself in Pelosi's office, prosecutors said. They added that he continued to tweet "misinformation" and conspiracy theories about the Capitol bombing after he was charged.
Prosecutors said these actions demonstrate that he "has no remorse and would be willing to engage in similar conduct in the future."