WashingtonForcibly impeding law enforcement during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol that interfered with Congress’s certification of the 2020 presidential election results, a Maryland man was sentenced on Friday to 18 months in jail.
In connection with his presence and actions at the Capitol on the day of the attack, Justin Lee, 25, of Rockville, was found guilty of three minor counts and two felonies, including attacking law enforcement and civil disruption. Along with the jail sentence, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden mandated that Lee pay $7,500 in restitution and serve a 12-month supervised release period.
According to court filings and trial testimony, Lee, a former police officer, was captured on open-source video in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the scene of some of the bloodiest altercations between rioters and police. According to the authorities, Lee tossed a flaming thing at the police, flung another object, and aimed a flashlight at the cops who were trying to control the crowd.
As rioters pressed against the police line in an attempt to break into the Capitol building, Lee’s hurled object produced a dense cloud of smoke. Lee donned a Maryland flag gaiter during the attack, which helped identify him. On October 19, FBI Baltimore officers took him into custody.
With support from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police, the FBI’s Baltimore and Washington field offices looked into Lee’s case. It was prosecuted by the National Security Division of the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
In relation to the Capitol incident, more than 1,560 persons nationwide have been charged, including more than 590 who are alleged to have assaulted or obstructed law enforcement. The inquiry is still under progress.
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