The retired Air Force officer Larry R. Brock wearing a combat helmet, upper left, in the Senate chamber on January 6, 2021.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Air Force veteran who entered Senate chamber on Jan. 6, 2021 was sentenced to two years in prison.
Larry R. Brock entered the Capitol building and was seen with zip-tie handcuffs on the Senate floor.
US District Judge John Bates described Brock’s behavior as “astounding and atrocious.”

A judge sentenced an Air Force veteran — who entered the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol dressed in body armor and carrying zip-tie handcuffs — to two years in prison on Friday.

Larry R. Brock, a 55-year-old retired lieutenant colonel, joined other rioters on the Senate floor only minutes after security rushed then-Vice President Mike Pence out of the chamber and a mob, upset over then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss to now-President Joe Biden, had breached the building.

A court found Brock, who lives in Galveston, Texas, guilty on six charges in November, including the obstruction of an official proceeding, which is a felony.

In his explanation of the sentence, US District Judge John Bates described Brock’s behavior in harsh terms.

“It’s really pretty astounding coming from a former high-ranked military officer. It’s astounding and atrocious,” the judge said. 

The judge lowered the federal sentencing range from 57 to 71 months to 24 to 30 months given the dynamics of this particular case, including Brock’s military service and the lack of a prior criminal record. But the judge said he also took into account the extreme rhetoric found on Brock’s Facebook posts, which were read aloud in court, when determining the sentence.

“I think it’s especially …read more

Source:: Businessinsider