According to the Justice Department, a man from Utah who was wearing a ballistic vest and gas mask and recorded the fatal shooting of Ashli Babbit has been sentenced to six years in prison for his involvement in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
John Earle Sullivan, aged 29, has been convicted of obstructing an official proceeding and possessing a dangerous weapon on Capitol grounds. The verdict was reached on November 16, 2023. U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth has sentenced Sullivan to a prison term, along with 36 months of supervised release. Additionally, Sullivan has been ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia stated in a press release that, based on court documents, Sullivan utilized different digital platforms and identities to portray himself as an activist. However, it was evident from these platforms that his actual intentions were to create complete chaos and disrupt the existing order.
On January 6, Sullivan made his way to the Capitol area equipped with a ballistic vest, gas mask, and a bullhorn. Through the megaphone, he rallied other rioters, urging them to “Get in that sh–” and “Storm that sh–.” To avoid getting arrested for breaching the building, he cleverly decided to keep filming, considering it a strategic move.
Once he entered the Capitol, he instructed law enforcement personnel to refrain from engaging in order to prevent any harm to them. Moreover, he actively participated in a gathering outside the House of Representatives, openly revealing that he possessed a knife. Furthermore, within the Speaker’s Lobby, he actively urged fellow rioters to vandalize and break the windows, as stated in the report.
Babbitt climbed through the broken windows and was subsequently shot.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Sullivan was apprehended in Salt Lake City on January 14, 2021. Prior to his arrest, he had received over $90,000 in payment for his videos documenting the riot.
According to the release, over 1,385 individuals across almost all 50 states have been charged for their involvement in the insurrection at the Capitol.
