Judges Force Court to Give Capitol Rioter Lesser Sentence

Afederal appeals court asked a lower court to re-sentence a January 6 defendant after finding the Capitol rioter had been handed an improperly long sentence for his crimes.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that Larry Brock's "interference with one stage of the electoral college vote-counting process, while no doubt endangering our democratic processes and temporarily derailing Congress's constitutional work—did not interfere with the 'administration of justice.'"

Brock is the retired Air Force officer who entered the U.S. Capitol dressed in combat gear and carried zip-tie handcuffs into the Senate gallery.

Brock was sentenced to two years in prison last May after a court found him guilty on six charges in November 2022, including for the felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding. The district court applied a sentencing enhancement on his conviction because it found that his conduct resulted in "substantial interference with the administration of justice."

The enhancement, which is used against defendants who disrupt judicial proceedings like court hearings, can increase sentences by more than a year.