(TheRedAlertNews.com) – A former New York Police Department officer has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, breach of the US Capitol, the heftiest sentence to date related to the event in question.
A federal judge issued the sentence. Back in May, a jury found Thomas Webster guilty on multiple charges, including violent and disorderly conduct on the grounds of the US Capitol and assault of police officers.
Webster is a veteran of the NYPD and the US Marine Corps, with a combined 25 years of service.
After the guilty verdicts, the participant in the 1/6 events at the US Capitol was on 24-hour home detention.
Judge Amit Mehta issued a sentence of 120 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release, taking into account Webster’s 25 years of service as a police officer and Marine and his remorse for his actions.
In its court documents ahead of last week’s court session, the Department of Justice said Webster “spearheaded” a breach against the police line at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
It declared the former cop responsible for “disgracing a democracy that he once fought honorably to protect and serve.”
“Notwithstanding his background and training, Webster did not try to de-escalate the situation or leave the premises. Instead, he led the charge. Webster spent eight minutes elbowing his way through the densely packed crowd so that he could position himself at the front of the mob,” the DOJ argued.
Webster’s lawyer, James Monroe, said his client’s actions were “unmistakably violent and reprehensible,” but asked the court to consider his history as a father, officer, and Marine.
In court on Thursday, Mehta urged the public to consider Webster’s case in the context of ongoing threats to democracy.
“We simply cannot have a country where people on the losing side of an election think you can use violence to change the result. You contributed to one of the darkest days in the history of the country,” the judge told the former NYPD officer.
“I don’t think you are a bad person. I think you got caught up in the moment. And getting caught up in the moment has consequences,” Mehta added.
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