Veteran U.S. Marine John George Todd III, a violent Jan. 6 defendant, was sentenced on Friday, but the federal judge in Washington, D.C., who presided over the proceedings, was unimpressed.
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell stated that Todd, who on January 6 carried a fiberglass pole with a flag attached at the U.S. Capitol, did not feel regret for his actions. This was reported by The Associated Press.
The court informed the Missourian, “This is not a patriot,” and he was sentenced to five years in prison. “This is not conduct becoming of a Marine.”
Even still, the sentence fell well short of the 12 years and 7 months that the federal prosecutors had initially requested. The man, 34, did not speak to the court on Friday.
As per the sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors, Todd traveled to the Capitol from Missouri to attend former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” protest and, once there, began lashing out.
Todd approached Metropolitan Police Department Officer Noah Rathbun while carrying a fiberglass pole with a flag attached. Rathbun, believing Todd was attempting to strike someone else with the pole, attempted to remove the homemade weapon from Todd’s grasp.
A struggle began, with both men grappling for it until the fiberglass pole splintered.
“When the pole splintered, the officer and Todd both saw the splintered fiberglass, and Todd ripped the splintered pole out of Officer Rathbun’s hands. This pulling sliced the officer’s hand open at the knuckle. The cut was deep and exposed a tendon in his finger, requiring medical attention and stitches,” prosecutors stated in a May 17 sentencing memorandum.
“On Jan. 6, 2021, Todd was angry that his preferred presidential candidate would not be sworn into office. Frustrated that the former president and his supported had ‘exhausted every f—— legal route,’ Todd was hellbent on disrupting the certification by illegal means, including by taking part in a violent riot and assaulting police officers who were trying to protect the Capitol building and members of Congress,” prosecutors wrote earlier.
In addition, Rathbun was assaulted on January 6 by defendant Thomas Webster, a former member of the New York Police Department, who struck Rathbun with a separate flagpole and attempted, according to the prosecution during Webster’s trial, to gouge out Rathbun’s eyes.
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In addition to receiving a 10-year term, Webster lost his most recent attempt to have his conviction overturned in Washington, D.C. due to juror bias last week.
Regarding Todd, he was found guilty of four more offenses in addition to assault and obstruction of the joint session of Congress.
At first, he was just charged with misdemeanors. The Washington Post claims that prosecutors only attempted to raise the charges once video of him attacking Rathbun surfaced, and they were granted their wish when a grand jury indictment was returned.
According to The Post, Todd served in the Marines for four years before his discharge was declared “other than honorable” because of his alcohol problem.
