Man Who Put Feet on Nancy Pelosi’s Desk on January 6 Sentenced to 4.5 Years in Prison

The Arkansas man who put his feet on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) desk during the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

Found guilty in January this year on eight counts, including felony charges of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, a federal judge sentenced Richard “Bigo” Barnett to four and half years in prison after prosecutors requested he’d be given more than seven years followed by three years of supervised release.

“He was ultimately sentenced to four and a half years in prison and three years of supervised release,” noted Fox News.

Barnett’s feet on Pelosi’s desk became one of the most viral images from the January 6 riot, matched only by “Qanon Shaman” Jacob Chansley. He claimed during the trial he unintentionally entered the former house speaker’s office while searching for the bathroom and then posed for two news photographers that were already there. He finished by leaving a note that said, “Nancy, Bigo was here, you bitch.”

Later, outside the Capitol, prosecutors said he gave a speech to the crowd with a bullhorn.

Here’s Mr. Barnett, who goes by “Bigo,” telling the story in his own words pic.twitter.com/oSyKiCDXgy

— Matthew Rosenberg (@AllMattNYT) January 6, 2021

“We took back our house, and I took Nancy Pelosi’s office,” he told people that day.

Barnett told his attorney during the trial that he got caught up in the moment.

“I was just in the moment,” Barnett said. “I’m just kind of going with the flow at this point.”

A 62-year-old retired firefighter from Arkansas, Barnett said that he regrets attending the “Stop the Steal” rally and that it brought shame upon his family.

“Two years of lost life. Misery for my family,” Barnett testified in January.

Barnett also said he would apologize to Nancy Pelosi if he could. He also told the court at his sentencing that he does not feel remorseful for things he “did not do.”

“They want me to be remorseful for things I did not do,” he said, adding that he “wasn’t treated fairly.”

“This was an enigma in my life,” Barnett said. “Jan. 6 was a traumatic day for everyone … I admit I was angry and I apologize for that.”

His attorneys claimed that the government targetted Barnett over the photo of him at Nancy Pelosi’s desk.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has arrested Richard Barnett who entered the U.S. Capitol and put his feet up on Nancy Pelosi’s desk, according to DOJ officials. https://t.co/BuNSBOcfjl

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 10, 2021

“Mr. Barnett is here because of the picture,” defense attorney Jonathan Gross said in court. “The government was mad because Richard Barnett was sitting at a desk.”

“Mr. Barnett never called for violence. Never called for insurrection. He was mad, but even in his anger his rhetoric was restrained and he never called for actual violence, not on January 6 and not for any time in the future,” the attorneys wrote in pre-trial filings.

Over 1,000 people have now been charged in relation to the January 6 Capitol Hill riot and encompass a wide range of investigations that have proven costly.

“The investigation has been a massive undertaking, both in its scope and cost. Every U.S. Attorney’s office has been involved, as well as every FBI field office. As part of the $1.7 trillion government spending package passed in December, $2.6 billion was allocated to the U.S. Attorneys, in part to support the Jan. 6 prosecutions,” NPR noted in March.

Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed on Tubi, Google Play, YouTube Movies, or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.