- An Air Force veteran who entered the Senate chamber on January 6, 2021 has been sentenced to two years in prison.
- Larry R. Brock entered the Capitol building and was seen in zippered handcuffs on the Senate floor.
- U.S. District Judge John Bates described Brock’s behavior as “astonishing and atrocious”.
A judge has sentenced an Air Force veteran — who entered the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot wearing a body armor and wearing zippered 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 just minutes after security rushed then-Vice President Mike Pence out of the chamber and a crowd, shocked by President Donald Trump’s 2020 defeat to current President Joe Biden, broke through the building.
A court found Brock, who lives in Galveston, Texas, guilty of six counts in November, including obstruction of official process, which is a felony.
In his explanation of sentence, U.S. District Judge John Bates described Brock’s behavior in harsh terms.
“It’s really quite stunning coming from a former high-ranking military officer. It’s stunning and excruciating,” 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 lack of criminal history. But the judge said he also considered the extreme rhetoric found on Brock’s Facebook posts, which were read aloud in court, during sentencing.
“I think that’s particularly reprehensible and frankly unbelievable coming from a senior military officer,” the judge said. “It’s detailed. It’s consistent. It’s both stunning and excruciating. And we accept no responsibility and show no remorse. Zero.”
“I think it’s fair to say his rhetoric is over the top extreme,” Judge added.
In one of Brock’s Facebook posts, he spoke of a “civil war” following Trump’s election defeat.
“We must execute the traitors who try to steal the election, and that includes the leaders of the media and social networks who aid and abet the putschists,” Brock wrote on the social media platform in November 2020.
“Under no circumstances should we accept this rigged election. I think SCOTUS needs to see if they don’t act there will be blood,” he added in a December post, using an acronym for the United States Supreme Court.
In an article written on Christmas Eve that year, Brock said, “I bought myself a bulletproof vest and a helmet for the coming Civil War.”
Prosecutors said Brock walked through the Senate chamber during the Jan. 6 attack, walking through the offices of senators wearing hard hats and tactical vests and wearing zippered plastic handcuffs. The prosecution also said Brock sought to unlock a door that had been used by Pence shortly before the rioters entered the Senate chamber.
“Brock was part of a larger mob that prevented the proceedings from taking place,” April Ayers-Perez, a prosecutor, said of certifying Biden’s victory. “They were continuing to shut down proceedings just by being there. Brock was in the Senate where they were supposed to be debating Arizona at this exact moment.”
Brock chose not to address the court during his sentencing.
In addition to the two-year sentence, Bates will have to serve two years of probation after his time in prison. He will also have to complete 100 hours of community service.
Defense attorney Charles Burnham said Brock plans to appeal the decision.
businessinsider
