Former police officer sentenced to more than 7 years in prison for January 6 incident

Washington — Off-duty Virginia State Police.

Former Rocky Mountain Police Sergeant. Thomas Robertson refused to speak in court before U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper sentenced him to seven years and three months in prison. announced his release in

Federal prosecutors sentenced Robertson to his eight-year prison sentence. His sentence is on par with that of Guy Reffitt, a Texan who attacked the Capitol while armed with a holstered handgun.

Robertson will take credit for his 13 months already in custody. Robertson has been incarcerated since he ruled last year that Cooper violated the terms of his pretrial release by possessing a firearm. He said he was troubled not only by stockpiles of guns, but also by language in defense of violence. After Jan. 6, Robertson told friends he was ready to fight and die in a civil war, sticking to an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump. the judge pointed out.

Sentencing guidelines calculated by Cooper, 7 years Three months to nine years imprisonment for him is recommended.

"It's a long time because it reflects the seriousness of the crime you were convicted of," said the judge.

In April, the jury , convicted Robertson of attacking the Capitol to obstruct Congress from proving Joe Biden's presidential election in 2020. A jury found Robertson guilty of all six counts of his indictment, including charges of interfering with Capitol police officers and entering an exclusion zone with a dangerous weapon, a large wooden stick. made a verdict.

Robertson's attorney was shot in the right thigh while working as a Pentagon civilian contractor in Afghanistan in 2011 and limped, so he used a cane to help the veteran walk.

The judge found the jury's opinion that Robertson went to the Capitol to interfere with the joint session of Congress on January 6. said he agreed with Cooper said he was the one who got caught in the crowd.

Robertson was killed that morning with another off-duty Rocky his mount police officer, Jacob Flacker, and his third man, his neighbor who was not charged in the case. headed to Washington.

Flacker was scheduled to stand trial alongside Robertson before pleading guilty to conspiracy charges in March and agreeing to cooperate with federal authorities. Cooper is expected to sentence Flacker next Tuesday.

Prosecutors asked Cooper to release Flacker from his prison sentence and sentence him to six months' probation and a period of home detention or "community confinement." They said Flacker's "full" cooperation and testimony at the trial was crucial in securing a conviction against Robertson. Lawyer Mark Rollins sought a prison term of up to two years and three months. He questioned the fairness of the large gap in sentences prosecutors had recommended in light of similar conduct by Robertson and Flacker.

Robertson made outstanding contributions to the country and the community. did, his attorney told the judge.

"His life is already in shambles," Rollins said.

Robertson and Flacker were among his current or former law enforcement officers who joined the riot. Prosecutors say Robertson used law enforcement and military training to stop police officers who were trying to stop the advancing mob.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Aloy said Robertson was ready for violence when he went to the Capitol and performed a "victory lap" inside the building, where he took a selfie with Flacker.

"Defendants are proud of their actions on January 6," she said.

The jury saw several of Robertson's social posts on his media before and after the riot. In his Facebook post on November 7, 2020, Robertson said, "It's my firm stance to be disenfranchised by fraud."

``I have spent most of my adult life fighting the rebels.

In a letter to the judge, Robertson took full responsibility for his actions on January 6 and for "the poor decisions I made." said he would lose. He denounced the acerbic content of the social media posts, which combined stress, alcohol abuse, and "deep immersion in the 'rabbit hole' of election conspiracy theories."

"I would sit at night drinking too much and reacting to articles and sites that Facebook gave me," he wrote.

After the riots, the town fired Robertson and Flacker. Rocky Mount is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Roanoke, Virginia and has a population of about 5,000.

About 850 people were indicted for federal crimes on 6 January. More than 350 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors, and he has been convicted of more than 230 so far.

Robertson's jury trial was his second trial in the Capitol Riot case. Reffitt's was the first. On each indictment, the jury unanimously convicted him of seven Capitol mobs on all charges.