Jury Convicts Man Who Posed With Boot on Desk in Pelosi’s Office - The New York Times

An Arkansas antheral who posed with his footwear propped connected a table successful Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bureau during the Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected the Capitol was convicted by a national assemblage connected Monday of 8 counts, including disorderly behaviour successful a capitol building, prosecutors said.

The man, Richard Barnett, 62, of Gravette, Ark., became 1 of the highest-profile defendants charged successful the storming of the Capitol aft helium was photographed successful Ms. Pelosi’s office, wearing a hat, plaid jacket, bluejeans and brownish boots, with a stun weapon dangling from his belt, prosecutors said.

Mr. Barnett faces up to 47 years successful situation erstwhile helium is sentenced connected May 3, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Mr. Barnett’s lawyer, Joseph D. McBride, said that his client, a erstwhile model salesman, planned to entreaty the verdict, which helium said a assemblage had returned aft deliberating for lone 2 hours.

“He loves God,” Mr. McBride said successful an interrogation connected Monday. “He loves his country. He understands helium did thing wrong. He doesn’t deliberation his beingness should extremity due to the fact that helium enactment his feet up connected somebody’s desk.”

In 1 photograph taken connected Jan. 6, Mr. Barnett enactment a footwear connected the table successful Ms. Pelosi’s bureau and reclined successful a chair, arms stretched wide.

In different photo, helium held up an envelope from Ms. Pelosi that was addressed to a congressman, which helium past stole, prosecutors said.

Mr. Barnett said successful an interrogation that time that helium had not stolen the envelope. Rather, helium said, helium had near a 4th connected Ms. Pelosi’s desk, adjacent though helium said she wasn’t “worth it,” prosecutors wrote successful tribunal documents.

Mr. Barnett, who is known arsenic Bigo, besides said that helium had near a enactment connected the table that read, “Nancy, Bigo was here,” adding a sexist slur, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that they aboriginal learned that Mr. Barnett had been carrying a stun weapon tucked into his pants erstwhile helium was photographed successful Ms. Pelosi’s office. The packaging for the stun weapon was recovered successful Mr. Barnett’s location erstwhile investigators executed a hunt warrant there, prosecutors said.

Mr. Barnett had been arrested connected Jan. 8, 2021, and indicted connected Jan. 29, 2021, connected 8 counts — 4 felonies and 4 misdemeanors, prosecutors said.

In summation to disorderly conduct, the charges included obstruction of an authoritative proceeding; aiding and abetting; entering and remaining successful a restricted gathering oregon grounds with a deadly oregon unsafe weapon; parading, demonstrating oregon picketing successful a capitol building; and theft of authorities property.

Mr. Barnett pleaded not blameworthy to each 8 counts connected Feb. 4, 2021, and had waged an effort to beryllium freed connected bond.

Appearing by video from jailhouse astatine a proceeding successful March 2021, helium erupted successful anger aft Judge Christopher Cooper of Federal District Court successful Washington acceptable the adjacent tribunal day successful his lawsuit for a time successful May, shouting that helium did not privation to stay down bars for “another month.”

“They’re dragging this out!” Mr. Barnett yelled. “They’re letting everybody other out!”

Mr. Barnett was released connected April 27, 2021, connected location confinement with restrictions, Mr. McBride said.

At proceedings this month, Mr. McBride said helium had argued that Mr. Barnett was “involuntarily” pushed into the Capitol by the surging assemblage and that his actions were “grounded successful governmental protest.”

Mr. Barnett had been wandering the halls, looking for the restroom erstwhile helium went into Ms. Pelosi’s office, Mr. McBride said.

“He’s not a home terrorist, but helium is everyone’s brainsick redneck uncle from retired of town,” Mr. McBride said during opening statements past week, UPI reported.

Pointing to what helium called the “political quality of the case,” Mr. McBride said successful an interrogation connected Monday that it had been intolerable for Mr. Barnett to get a just proceedings successful Washington, wherever helium said that jurors are overwhelmingly supportive of President Biden. He said his motions to person the proceedings moved retired of Washington had each been rejected by the judge.

“Obviously, we are disappointed with the jury’s finding,” Mr. McBride said. “We knew going into the proceedings that the platform was stacked against us.”