An Arkansas man who put his toes up on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s workplace in the course of the U.S. Capitol riot was convicted on Monday of becoming a member of a mob’s assault on the constructing two years in the past.
A jury unanimously convicted Richard “Bigo” Barnett on all eight counts in his indictment together with felony prices of civil dysfunction and obstruction of an official continuing.
The picture of Barnett lounging at a desk in Pelosi’s workplace made him probably the most memorable figures from the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, the day when Congress convened a joint session to certify President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced in May. Prosecutors sought to jail Barnett whereas he awaits sentencing however the decide denied that request so Barnett will stay free on sure situations.
Barnett, 62, testified final Thursday that he was in search of a toilet contained in the Capitol when he unwittingly entered Pelosi’s workplace and encountered two news photographers. He mentioned one of many photographers informed him to “act natural,” so he leaned again in a chair and flung his legs onto the desk.
“Did it dawn on you that what you were doing could cause some trouble?” protection legal professional Joseph McBride requested Barnett.
“I was just in the moment,” Barnett replied. “I’m just kind of going with the flow at this point.”
Prosecutors mentioned Barnett had a stun gun tucked into his pants when he stormed the Capitol and invaded Pelosi’s workplace. He took a chunk of her mail and left behind a word that mentioned, “Nancy, Bigo was here,” punctuating the message with a sexist expletive.
Before leaving Capitol grounds, Barnett used a bullhorn to offer a speech to the gang, shouting, “We took back our house, and I took Nancy Pelosi’s office!” in keeping with prosecutors.
Videos assist Barnett’s testimony {that a} crowd pushed him into the Capitol as he approached an entrance, inflicting him to briefly fall to his knees as he crossed the brink.
“We have no choice!” he shouted repeatedly as he entered the Capitol.
After police ordered him and others to depart Pelosi’s workplace, Barnett realized he had left his American flag behind. Body digicam video captured Barnett shouting at a police officer within the Rotunda for assist in retrieving the flag.
More than 940 folks have been charged with federal crimes associated to the Jan.6 assault. Nearly 500 of them have pleaded responsible. Barnett is one among a number of dozen Capitol riot defendants whose case has gone to trial.
A grand jury indicted Barnett on eight prices, together with felony counts of civil dysfunction and obstruction of an official continuing. He additionally faces a cost of coming into and remaining in restricted constructing or grounds with a lethal or harmful weapon — a stun gun with spikes hid inside a collapsible strolling stick.
Barnett, 62, is a retired firefighter from Gravette, Arkansas. He mentioned he regrets coming to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally the place then-President Donald Trump addressed a crowd of supporters.
“Two years of lost life. Misery for my family,” he mentioned.
A prosecutor informed jurors in the course of the trial’s opening statements that Barnett deliberate the journey for weeks and got here ready for violence.
McBride informed jurors that Barnett was only a “crazy guy from Arkansas” who did not damage anyone on Jan. 6 and could not have harmed anyone with the stun gun gadget as a result of it was damaged that day. McBride sarcastically known as it “the most famous trespass case of all time.”
Prosecutors mentioned Barnett had a historical past of arming himself at political demonstrations. In July 2020, they mentioned, a 911 caller reported {that a} man matching Barnett’s description had pointed a rifle at her throughout a “Back the Blue” rally.
“Law enforcement ultimately closed the investigation as unfounded due to unresolved apparent discrepancies in the evidence,” prosecutors wrote.
In November 2020, police have been known as to a “Save the Children” rally when a caller mentioned Barnett was carrying a gun on the protest and appearing suspiciously.