By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN (Associated Press)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A man from Washington state who used a megaphone to organize a mob's assault on police officers protecting the U.S. Capitol has been given a prison term of more than seven years.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth stated that videos showed Taylor James Johnatakis playing a leading role during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Johnatakis led other rioters in a charge against a police line, gave commands over his megaphone, and shouted directions for overpowering officers, the judge said.
“In any angry mob, there are leaders and there are followers. Mr. Johnatakis was a leader. He knew what he was doing that day,” the judge said before sentencing him to seven years and three months behind bars.
Johnatakis, who represented himself with an attorney on standby, has repeatedly expressed rhetoric that appears to be inspired by the anti-government “sovereign citizen” movement. He asked the judge questions at his sentencing, including, “Does the record reflect that I repent in my sins?”
Lamberth, who referred to some of Johnatakis’ words as “gobbledygook,” said, “I’m not answering questions here.”
Prosecutors recommended a nine-year prison sentence for Johnatakis, a self-employed installer of septic systems.
“Johnatakis was not just any rioter; he led, organized, and encouraged the assault of officers at the U.S. Capitol on January 6,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.
A jury convicted him of felony charges after a trial last year in Washington, D.C.
Johnatakis, 40, of Kingston, Washington, had a megaphone strapped to his back when he marched to the Capitol from then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House on Jan. 6.
“It’s over,” he shouted at the crowd of Trump supporters. “Michael Pence has voted against the president. We are down to the nuclear option.”
Johnatakis was one of the first rioters to chase a group of police officers who were retreating up stairs outside the Capitol. He shouted and gestured for other rioters to “pack it in” and prepare to attack.
Johnatakis shouted “Go!” before he and other rioters shoved a metal barricade into a line of police officers. He also grabbed an officer’s arm.
“The crime is complete,” Johnatakis posted on social media several hours after he left the Capitol.
He was arrested in February 2021. He has been jailed since November 2023, when jurors convicted him of seven counts, including obstruction of the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress that certified Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. The jury also convicted him of assault and civil disorder charges.
Justice Department prosecutor Courtney Howard said Johnatakis hasn’t expressed any sincere remorse or accepted responsibility for his crimes on Jan. 6.
“He’s going so far as to portray himself as a persecuted victim,” she said.
Lamberth said he received over 20 letters from Johnatakis, his relatives and friends. Some of Johnatakis supporters don’t seem to know the full extent of his crimes on Jan. 6, the judge added. Lamberth said he would order the clerk of court’s office to send all of them copies of his prepared remarks during the sentencing hearing.
Lamberth stated that there should be no tolerance for this type of political violence in our country.
In April of last year, Lamberth instructed a psychologist to evaluate Johnatakis's mental competence for trial. The judge ultimately decided that Johnatakis was able to understand the legal process and contribute to his own defense.
Around 1,350 individuals have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. More than 800 of them have been given sentences, with about two-thirds receiving prison terms ranging from a few days to 22 years.
