A New Jersey man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges arising from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, including assaulting law enforcement.
Christopher Joseph Quaglin, 37, was found guilty last year on 14 charges, including 12 felonies and two misdemeanors. The U.S. Attorney's Office of D.C. said in a statement he traveled to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 after posting on social media that he planned to fight against the government and urged others to bring gas masks, full body armor and knives to the nation's capital.
Authorities said Quaglin was a part of the first group of rioters that pushed oast police barricades at Peace Circle, adding that he engaged in violence with law enforcement officers once he made it to the West Front of the Capitol.
Quaglin repeatedly pushed into officers before attacking a U.S. Capitol Police sergeant by grabbing him by the neck and tackling him, officials said, adding that Quaglin hit another officer with a gas mask and continued to push into officers and clash with the police line throughout the day.
Quaglin took aim at U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden before and after he was sentenced, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
"You're Trump's worst mistake of 2016," he told McFadden, who was nominated by Trump in 2017. Quaglin also said that the riot was not an insurrection, saying that if it was, he would have brought a long gun, according to the AP.
McFadden said during the hearing that Quaglin's actions were "shocking" and "lawless."
“January 6th is not simply an anomaly for you,” McFadden said. “You’ve allowed it to define you.”
More than 1,424 individuals have been charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, including more than 500 people who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation is still ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed.
