A group of Missourians who stole a part of Nancy Pelosi’s nameplate as they rioted inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 have been all been given jail sentences, Law&Crime reports.
Images and videos of Emily Hernandez, 22, went viral and made her one of the most well-known faces of the Capitol riot. Her uncle, William Merry, 63, and his friend Paul Westover, 53, are also seen in images alongside her. Merry pleaded guilty in January to one count of theft of government property, and Westover pleaded guilty in November to one count of parading, picketing, or demonstrating in a Capitol building.
From Law&Crime:
On Monday, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg sentenced all three defendants to jail: Hernandez to 30 days, and Merry and Westover each to 45 days for their role in the mob that overwhelmed police and swarmed the Capitol, temporarily blocking Congress from certifying the result of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election.
During the sentencing hearing, Westover told Judge Boasberg that he regretted his actions, adding that he has been unfairly maligned as a “domestic terrorist” and “insurrectionist,” but Boasberg wasn’t buying it.
“What you and others did on Jan. 6 was nothing short of insurrection and an attempt to topple a government that had been lawfully and legally elected and maintain in power those who had lost the election,” Boasberg said.
“I didn’t hear much about why you were there in the first place,” Boasberg added, going on to say that he doesn’t know why Westover made the “intentional choice” of being at the “forefront of that mob.”
“You were there early on,” the Judge continued. “You were there in the middle of the group that was eager to overcome—and did overcome—the barricades and Capitol police[.]”
Read the full report over at Law&Crime.
