1 year ago
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FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A 46-year-old antheral from Madera, already convicted for his relation successful the riot astatine the U.S. Capitol connected January 6, was sentenced Monday of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to the national Department of Justice, 46-year-old Benjamin Martin of Madera was sentenced connected Monday to 3 years and 2 months successful prison.
Martin was convicted of the firearms charges pursuing a one-day proceedings successful Fresno.
According to grounds presented astatine the proceedings and different tribunal records, successful September 2021, the FBI executed a hunt warrant astatine Martin’s residence successful Madera and arrested him connected charges filed by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia for the breach of the United States Capitol that occurred connected Jan. 6, 2021.
During the search, the FBI said they recovered 8 firearms, including an AR‑15‑style rifle, aggregate high-capacity magazines for the AR-15, and much than 500 rounds of ammunition. Martin was prohibited from possessing these items due to the fact that of his anterior home unit conviction, and resulting restraining order, for choking his then-girlfriend and dragging her backmost into the location aft she tried to flee.
Federal prosecutors accidental Martin was caught connected a recorded jailhouse telephone wherever helium instructed his existent fiancée to prevarication to authorities and archer them that the firearms seized from his residence belonged to her and her begetter and that helium did not cognize astir them. She agreed to bash truthful and Martin received an enhancement to his condemnation for this witnesser tampering.
The Department of Justice adds that Martin besides precocious went to proceedings successful the Capitol breach lawsuit successful Washington, D.C., wherever the grounds showed that helium held a doorway to the Capitol unfastened portion officers tried to adjacent it. He kept the doorway unfastened truthful that different rioters could spray chemic irritants and propulsion objects astatine the officers. Martin was convicted connected 5 counts.
Martin is scheduled to beryllium sentenced successful the Capitol breach lawsuit successful Washington, D.C., connected Dec. 20, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras.
