Man Who Propped His Foot on Nancy Pelosi’s Desk During Capitol Riot Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison

A man from Arkansas who gained notoriety for propping his foot on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection was sentenced to 54 months in prison on Wednesday.

Richard “Bigo” Barnett was convicted on eight counts related to his role in the riot, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property. During his sentencing, Judge Christopher Cooper noted that Barnett had “not shown any acceptance of responsibility” and ordered him to serve 4.5 years behind bars.

Federal prosecutors had asked Cooper to give Barnett more than seven years for his actions, while Barnett’s lawyers had requested a six-month sentence. The image of Barnett lounging in Pelosi’s office became “one of the best-known images of that day, symbolizing the rioters having wrested control of both the hallowed space and the political process from the nation’s elected leaders.”

Barnett’s sentence is the longest handed down so far to any of the hundreds of people charged in connection with the Capitol riot. He is the first of the defendants to be sentenced to prison, with other sentences ranging from probation to home confinement.

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged more than 400 people in connection with the Capitol riot, and more than 300 of those cases are still pending. The Justice Department has said it is prioritizing cases involving violence, destruction of property and threats to law enforcement.