First rioter to enter Capitol during Jan. 6 attack is sentenced to over 4 years in prison

WASHINGTON -- A Kentucky antheral who was the archetypal rioter to participate the U.S. Capitol during a mob's onslaught connected the gathering was sentenced connected Tuesday to much than 4 years successful prison.

A constabulary serviceman who tried to subdue Michael Sparks with capsicum spray described him arsenic a catalyst for the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Senate that time recessed little than 1 infinitesimal aft Sparks jumped into the gathering done a breached window. Sparks past joined different rioters successful chasing a constabulary serviceman up flights of stairs.

Before learning his sentencing, Sparks told the justice that helium inactive believes the 2020 statesmanlike predetermination was marred by fraud and "completely taken from the American public."

Michael Sparks, the archetypal rioter to participate the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021, leaves national tribunal connected Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, successful Washington.

AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

"I americium remorseful that what transpired that time didn't assistance anybody," Sparks said. "I americium remorseful that our state is successful the authorities it's in."

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who sentenced Sparks to 4 years and 5 months, told him that determination was thing patriotic astir his salient relation successful what was a "national disgrace."

"I don't truly deliberation you admit the afloat gravity of what happened that time and, rather frankly, the afloat seriousness of what you did," the justice said.

Federal prosecutors recommended a situation condemnation of 4 years and 9 months for Sparks, a 47-year-old erstwhile mill idiosyncratic from Cecilia, Kentucky.

Defense lawyer Scott Wendelsdorf asked the justice to condemnation Sparks to 1 twelvemonth of location detention alternatively of prison.

A assemblage convicted Sparks of each six charges that helium faced, including a felony number of interfering with constabulary during a civilian disorder. Sparks didn't attest astatine his proceedings successful Washington, D.C.

In the weeks starring up to the Jan. 6 attack, Sparks utilized societal media to beforehand conspiracy theories astir predetermination fraud and advocator for a civilian war.

"It's clip to resistance them retired of Congress. It's tyranny," helium posted connected Facebook 3 days earlier the riot.

Sparks traveled to Washington, D.C, with co-workers from an electronics and components works successful Elizabethtown, Kentucky. They attended then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally adjacent the White House connected Jan. 6.

After the rally, Sparks and a friend, Joseph Howe, joined a assemblage successful marching to the Capitol. Both of them wore tactical vests. Howe was captured connected video repeatedly saying, "we're getting successful that building."

Off camera, Sparks added: "All it's going to instrumentality is 1 idiosyncratic to go. The remainder is following," according to prosecutors. Sparks' lawyer argued that the grounds doesn't beryllium that Sparks made that statement.

"Of course, some Sparks and Howe were much close than possibly anyone other knew astatine the clip - it was conscionable a abbreviated clip aboriginal that Sparks made past arsenic the precise archetypal idiosyncratic to spell inside, and the remainder so followed," prosecutors wrote.

Dominic Pezzola, a subordinate of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group, utilized a constabulary shield to interruption a model adjacent to the Senate Wing Door. Capitol Police Sgt. Victor Nichols sprayed Sparks successful the look arsenic helium hopped done the shattered glass.

Nichols testified that Sparks acted "like a greenish airy for everybody down him, and everyone followed close down him due to the fact that it was similar it was good to spell into the building." Nichols besides said Sparks' actions were "the catalyst for the gathering being wholly breached."

Undeterred by capsicum spray, Sparks joined different rioters successful chasing Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman arsenic helium retreated up the stairs and recovered backup from different officers adjacent the Senate chamber.

"This is our America!" Sparks screamed astatine police. He near the gathering astir 10 minutes later.

Sparks' lawyer downplayed his client's favoritism arsenic the archetypal rioter to participate the building.

"While technically existent successful a time-line sense, helium did not pb the assemblage into the gathering oregon origin the breach done which helium and others entered," Wendelsdorf wrote. "Actually, determination were 8 antithetic points of entree that time separately and independently exploited by the protestors."

But the justice said erstwhile and wherever Sparks entered the Capitol was an important origin successful his sentencing.

"I deliberation it's undeniable that the archetypal idiosyncratic (to participate the Capitol) would person an emboldening and encouraging effect connected everyone who was astatine slightest successful your vicinity," Kelly told Sparks. "To accidental it wasn't a material, cardinal constituent successful the mob's taking of the Capitol, I think, is conscionable ignoring the obvious."

Sparks was arrested successful Kentucky little than a period aft the riot. Sparks and Howe were charged unneurotic successful a November 2022 indictment. Howe pleaded blameworthy to battle and obstruction charges and was sentenced past twelvemonth to 4 years and 2 months successful prison.

More than 1,400 radical person been charged with Capitol riot-related national crimes. Approximately 950 riot defendants person been convicted and sentenced. More than 600 of them person received presumption of imprisonment ranging from a fewer days to 22 years.