341

First rioter to enter Capitol during Jan. 6 attack is sentenced to over 4 years in prison (abcnews.go.com)

submitted 2 months ago by Theprogressivist@lemmy.world to c/politics@lemmy.world

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

WASHINGTON -- A Kentucky man who was the first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol during a mob's attack on the building was sentenced on Tuesday to more than four years in prison.

A police officer who tried to subdue Michael Sparks with pepper spray described him as a catalyst for the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Senate that day recessed less than one minute after Sparks jumped into the building through a broken window. Sparks then joined other rioters in chasing a police officer up flights of stairs.

Before learning his sentencing, Sparks told the judge that he still believes the 2020 presidential election was marred by fraud and “completely taken from the American public."

“I am remorseful that what transpired that day didn't help anybody,” Sparks said. “I am remorseful that our country is in the state it's in.”

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who sentenced Sparks to four years and five months, told him that there was nothing patriotic about his prominent role in what was a “national disgrace.”

“I don't really think you appreciate the full gravity of what happened that day and, quite frankly, the full seriousness of what you did,” the judge said.

Federal prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of four years and nine months for Sparks, a 47-year-old former factory worker from Cecilia, Kentucky.

top 32 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[-] Rapidcreek@lemmy.world 50 points 2 months ago

The DOJ asked for 57 months. It’s not a good idea to tell the judge that you’re only remorseful because it didn’t succeed.

[-] DekesEnormous@lemmy.world 52 points 2 months ago

That’s a very light sentence for treason.

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Indeed. These babies should be happy they weren't put up against the wall like they probably deserve. Same with the people plotting the attempted coup being run at the same time.

Instead we hear about how they are "political prisoners" and so on. Well fuck that noise.

[-] TimLovesTech@badatbeing.social 9 points 2 months ago

Would love to see some kind of therapy to help de-program his cult veil of what actually happened, and to work through why it's him paying the price right now instead of the cult leader.

[-] Delusional@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

No consequences for the assholes that started the lies to get their dumbass voters to raid the capital to overthrow the nation.

[-] Buffalox@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Why not? 4 years is only 48 months.

[-] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 49 points 2 months ago

That’s it? 4 years? He will be out before next insurrection gala

[-] SkyezOpen@lemmy.world 28 points 2 months ago

4 years huh? Someone remind me how much time people serve for getting caught with pot?

Actually, don't.

[-] DogPeePoo@lemm.ee 22 points 2 months ago

FOX “News” + the poorly educated + a shameless lying conman = Jan 6

The real tragedy is the main culprit has been given tacit approval by the $upremecy Court.

[-] zipzoopaboop@lemmynsfw.com 16 points 2 months ago

*insurrectionist Traitor also works.

They are not rioters

[-] BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 10 points 2 months ago

Seems pretty clear cut. Anyone entering that building unlawfully wanted the results to be overturned and all legal options to change the result were exhausted. That's insurrection.

[-] Etterra@lemmy.world 15 points 2 months ago

In Checkers everybody's expendable except the guy moving the pieces.

[-] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

For the love of Pete, stop calling these terrorists "rioters".

Calling them implies that none of this was planned.

[-] aramis87@fedia.io 9 points 2 months ago

Sparks used social media to promote conspiracy theories about election fraud and advocate for a civil war. “It’s time to drag them out of Congress. It’s tyranny,” he posted on Facebook three days before the riot. [He and a friend] wore tactical vests.

Hard to argue innocence with all that.

Sparks added: “All it’s going to take is one person to go. The rest is following,"

He wasn't wrong.

[-] foggy@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

These sentences should all be ~10x

[-] BeMoreCareful@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

What bakes my noodle is: that this guy and presumably almost half of voters firmly believe that the 2020 election wasn't accurate. Factor in that like a third of the population doesn't even vote...

I don't know what that adds up to, but I don't like it.

Is it always like this? Does it matter? Idk, bums me out.

[-] wowsa@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Four more years!

[-] realcaseyrollins@thelemmy.club 1 points 2 months ago

Based. He should be permanently barred from going back to the Capitol as well.

this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2024

341 points (99.4% liked)

politics

19089 readers

3961 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

• Register To Vote

• Citizenship Resource Center

• Congressional Awards Program

• Federal Government Agencies

• Library of Congress Legislative Resources

• The White House

• U.S. House of Representatives

• U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

• News