King of Prussia man sentenced to one of the harshest sentences yet for participating in Capitol Riot
A Montgomery County, Pennsylvania man was sentenced on Friday to 46 months in prison for assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, the breach which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Howard C. Richardson, 72, of King of Prussia, was sentenced in the District of Columbia. His 46 months in the slammer for beating a D.C. police officer with a Trump flag during the riot is one of the harshest sentences issued so far in connection with the insurrection, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Court documents revealed that on January 6, 2021, Richardson made his way to the restricted area of the U.S. Capitol grounds, passing by metal barriers and police officers attempting to keep the crowd away. He was carrying a flagpole that he initially waved while he was among the crowd. At about 1:38 p.m., Richardson was standing several feet away from the police line at the West Terrace with the flagpole. He raised the flagpole and forcefully swung it downward to strike an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department who was standing behind a metal barricade.
Richardson then struck the officer two more times, using enough force to break the flagpole. Then, moments later, he joined other rioters in pushing a large metal sign into a line of law enforcement officers.
Richardson was arrested on November 30, 2021, in Philadelphia. He pleaded guilty on April 27, 2022, to assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. Following his prison term, he will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also must pay $2,000 in restitution.
In the 19 months since the January 6, 2021 riot, more than 860 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office / District of Columbia)
(Cover photo: Howard Richardson at the January 6, 2021, riot in Washington, D.C. Image credit: Twitter)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
