A Capitol rioter sentenced to over a year in prison says he supports Donald Trump "now more than ever."
Alexander Sheppard, 24, of Powell, Ohio, was sentenced on Tuesday to 19 months behind bars for five charges associated with his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters on January 6, 2021, according to the Department of Justice.
In January, he was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding; entering and remaining in a restricted grounds or building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right Proud Boys, was also sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison for his role in the Capitol breach—the harshest punishment doled out thus far for anyone charged and convicted in association with that day's events. Joseph Biggs, another Proud Boys member and Tarrio ally, was sentenced to 17 years behind bars last Thursday.
"The government claimed that I stopped the certification of the election, and that my unapologetic claims of widespread voter fraud, along with my continued observation of federal agitators on 1/6, meant that I had no remorse for entering the Capitol building that day," Sheppard wrote Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. "Therefore, I needed maximum deterrence in order to keep the community safe and prevent me from continuing down this life of crime."
He added that his next step is to appeal his sentence.
When asked on X if he still supported the former president after being sentenced, Sheppard responded: "Now more than ever."
The DOJ said Sheppard was initially scheduled to be sentenced on April 26, 2023, after claiming the Capitol siege was a "false flag" operation planned by or involving the government, "federal agitators" and Antifa.
Evidence reportedly unearthed during his trial showed him among the first rioters to enter the Capitol, "joining others in overrunning multiple police lines established to stop the mob's spread."
He and others were captured on video pushing through another police line inside the building, part of a mob moving towards the House of Representatives chamber where members of Congress were present.
Sheppard then recorded a video of himself proclaiming: "I'm here with some goddamn heroes, and we just shut down Congress! They called an emergency session. They said we're too scared. They've shut down Congress. Let's f------ go!"
The DOJ said he recorded additional video showing him running towards then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lobby doors while screaming at on-guard U.S. Capitol Police officers who were present to help evacuate legislators. The guilty party left the scene after witnessing another rioter get shot by law enforcement.
Sheppard was only in the Capitol building for about 10 minutes, and there is no evidence he engaged in violence, according to The Columbus Dispatch. However, federal prosecutors argued he helped rile up the crowd by leading chants and shouting encouragement to others to "keep fighting."
On January 9, 2021, Sheppard posted a threat against then-Vice President Mike Pence on the social media platform Parler, saying, "[W]e shouldn't hang Mike Pence. Firing squad!"
He recently posted a fake mugshot of himself on X, mimicking Trump's mugshot taken in Fulton County, Georgia, following the former president's most recent indictment pertaining to the state's 2020 electoral results.
Sheppard was arrested on February 22, 2021, in Columbus, Ohio.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation just released a list of trial absconders who have hidden after being indicted on charges related to their roles in the Capitol riot. Authorities are still seeking seven individuals, including four accused of assaulting law enforcement officers.
More than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to January 6, according to the DOJ, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
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