An image of Richard Barnett reclining against the legislator’s desk has become emblematic of the 2021 US Capitol attack.
Jury deliberations on Monday lasted for just two hours before the guilty verdict was returned on all eight charges. They included the felony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Barnett, an Arkansas resident, is set to be sentenced in a Washington, DC courtroom on May 3.
The image of Barnett with his foot on then-House Speaker Pelosi’s desk became emblematic of the US Capitol attack, which was led by supporters of then-President Donald Trump who sought to overturn his election loss.
Outside of the courthouse on Monday, Barnett vowed to appeal the case, calling it an “injustice”.
“We can only imagine what would have happened if [Pelosi] had been there at the time,” Prout said.
US District Judge Christopher Cooper agreed to let Barnett remain free on certain conditions until his sentencing, despite a request from prosecutors that he be jailed until then.
Barnett, who goes by the nickname “Bigo”, is among the more than 940 people charged with federal crimes related to the deadly riot. Nearly 500 have pled guilty, while dozens of others have let their cases go to trial.
A former firefighter, Barnett testified last Thursday that he was looking for a toilet inside the US Capitol when he unwittingly entered Pelosi’s office and encountered two news photographers.
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