Obama-Appointed Judge Sentencing Non-Violent Jan. 6 Defendants To More Prison Time Than Asked

Trump supporters who trespassed at the U.S. Capitol on January 6 are being sentenced to more prison time than prosecutors are seeking by an Obama-appointed federal judge, a report from Reuters outlined Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan has already sentenced four non-violent offenders who breached the Capitol, a misdemeanor offense, to 14-45 days in prison, the report claimed.

Earlier this week, Judge Chutkan sentenced two cousins, Robert Bauer and Edward Hemenway, to 45 days for trespassing and taking selfies in the Capitol on January 6. The prosecution was seeking up to 30 days in prison.

The report added that Chutkan sentenced Dona Sue Bissey, a 52-year-old from Indiana, to two weeks of incarceration on Tuesday, though the prosecution recommended the defendant serve probation, “citing her early acceptance of responsibility and cooperation with law enforcement,” Reuters said.

Judge Chutkan, who has the discretion to impose harsher punishments, also sentenced Matthew Mazzocco to 45 days in prison for a misdemeanor offense related to the breach. At the time, the “court hearing marked the first time that one of the judges overseeing the hundreds of Jan. 6 prosecutions imposed a sentence that was harsher than what the government asked for,” the report highlighted. – READ MORE