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A Kentucky man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, where he assaulted police with pepper spray and committed other violent crimes.
Isreal James Easterday, 23, of Munfordville, Kentucky, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to 30 months in prison, 500 hours of community service, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
A U.S. District Court jury found Easterday guilty of six felonies and three misdemeanors on October 26, 2023, including civil disorder; two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, all felonies.
Easterday was also convicted of three misdemeanor offenses, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Easterday traveled from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., because he was upset about what he perceived as government corruption related to the 2020 presidential election.
At around 2:30 p.m. on January 6, 2021, Easterday was among the mob of rioters trying to enter the Capitol building’s East Rotunda doors. As U.S. Capitol Police officers attempted to hold back the crowd, Easterday blasted one of the officers in the face with pepper spray at point-blank range, injuring and temporarily incapacitating the officer.
The incident occurred as members of Congress, Senators, and their staffs were still inside the Capitol building and in the process of being evacuated. The officer, who was later able to regain consciousness, suffered pain and compromised vision for hours after the attack.
Easterday was arrested by FBI agents on December 8, 2022, in Miami, Florida. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
This conviction serves as a reminder of the severity of the crimes committed on January 6, 2021, and the consequences that those responsible will face.
Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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