Michael Sparks, who was the first defendant to breach the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 53 months in prison Tuesday for felony and misdemeanor charges.
U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly warned that the assault on the Capitol has created uncertainty around how America will conduct its next transfer of power after the 2024 presidential election.
Sparks, 46, was convicted by a jury in March of felony obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder and misdemeanors — including disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Video from inside the Capitol showed him entering through a window and jumping to the floor at around 2:13 p.m. that day, according to the Justice Department.
A prosecutor described the choice by a U.S. Capitol police sergeant who saw Sparks enter the smashed window not to shoot at him. He “could’ve drawn his weapon,” the government said, “but that would’ve led to a bloodbath … he protected the rioters, too.” The sergeant testified powerfully about his decision not to fire. He told the court about the trauma of the riot, the suicides of his colleagues and the “fragility of democracy” at this moment.
Surveillance video shows Sparks, after he entered the Capitol, then joined a group of men and chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman up a flight of stairs and at one point, he confronted him, yelling, “This is our America!”
