Ex-Cop Faces 87 Months In Prison For Jan. 6 Riot—Tying For Longest Sentence

Topline

A former Virginia police officer was sentenced Thursday to more than seven years in federal prison for his role in the January 6 riot, tying for the most severe sentence for a Capitol riot-related case so far, as federal prosecutors and judges work their way through hundreds of defendants arrested in the wake of the 2021 attack.

Key Facts

A federal judge sentenced Thomas Robertson to 87 months in prison, about four months after jurors convicted him of obstruction of Congress, entering a restricted area with a dangerous weapon and four other counts.

In a pair of sentencing memos, the Department of Justice asked for Robertson to be sentenced to 96 months, while Robertson’s attorneys asked for a 15-month sentence.

Prosecutors say Robertson—an off-duty police officer from Rocky Mount, Virginia, who was later fired—entered the Capitol during the January 6 riot wielding a wooden stick, and “confronted” local police officers outside the building.

Robertson pleaded not guilty and reportedly insisted at trial he used the wooden stick to walk and only entered the Capitol building to find Jacob Fracker, another off-duty Virginia cop with whom he attended the January 6 riot.

Forbes has reached out to Robertson’s attorney for comment.

What To Watch For

Fracker will face sentencing next week. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy last year, agreed to cooperate with the government and testified at Robertson’s trial, leading prosecutors to recommend six months of probation.

Surprising Fact

Robertson was released from jail after his January 2021 arrest, but last August, a judge ordered Robertson to remain in detention pretrial after prosecutors said he ordered more than 30 guns off the internet and wrote alarming posts on online forums.

Key Background

Robertson’s 87-month sentence ties the penalty given earlier this month to Guy Reffitt, a Texan who pleaded not guilty after he was accused of bringing a semiautomatic pistol and zip ties to the riot. Federal authorities have arrested and charged more than 800 people for January 6-related offenses, many of whom have pleaded guilty. Like Robertson, a handful of alleged rioters have turned out to be police officers or other public officials.