The first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack has been convicted of charges that he interfered with police and obstructed Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

The first rioter to enter the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack was convicted on Friday of charges that he interfered with police and obstructed Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.

Michael Sparks, 46, of Kentucky, jumped through a shattered window moments after another rioter smashed it with a stolen riot shield. Sparks then joined other rioters in chasing a police officer up flights of stairs, one of the most harrowing images from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.

A federal jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Sparks of all six charges that he faced, including two felonies. Sparks didn’t testify at his weeklong trial. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is scheduled to sentence him on July 9.

Sparks was the “tip of the spear” and breached the Capitol building less than a minute before senators recessed to evacuate the chamber and escape from the mob, Justice Department prosecutor Emily Allen said during the trial’s closing arguments.

  • @[email protected]
    26•9 months ago

    “His belief was wrong, but it was sincere,”

    Haha. I love his attorney. I will use the same excuse when I stab my neighbor in the eye.

    • Billiam
      9•9 months ago

      I sincerely believe that everyone involved in trying to overthrow the government on Jan 6 should be hanged like the traitors they are.

      I guess, according to his lawyer, it’s perfectly fine for me to do so.