On Tuesday, Dawn Bancroft, a 59-year-old Pennsylvanian who is said to be one of the many rioters during the Jan. 6 Capitol violence, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge. This is after she made a video while leaving the capitol during the attack saying she wanted to “shoot [Nancy Pelosi] in the friggin’ brain.”
With the charge against her, some judges, including a senior District Judge, are questioning why was she charged with misdemeanor only and not with a felony for threatening a government official?
According to District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, the video of Bancroft was “horrible” and “clearly troubling.” Sullivan is not the first judge to raise questions about this issue, Washingtonian reported.
Chief U.S. District Judge: More Rioters Must Face Felony Charges
Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell has also pushed for more rioters to face felony charges for hindering Congress from declaring the now President Joe Biden’s electoral college victory. According to the report, in one hearing, Judge Howell asked if the government have any concerns about deterrence.
Back in August, Howell also raised his apprehensions regarding why prosecutors are only asking for a $1.5 million compensation from the Capitol rioter perpetrators when U.S. taxpayers will be paying more than $500 million for the attack.
The figures may line up with the estimated $1.495 million worth of damages to the Capital building, but it diminishes when compared to the $2.1 billion security bill that was passed back in July. $521 million of the money is intended for the National Guard and $71 million for the Capitol Police.
650 People Charged Over The January 6 Riot
More than 650 people have been indicted for activities concerning the riots back on Jan. 6. Misdemeanor offenders have the chance to please guilty to one of four charges if they went through inside the Capitol but did not cause any physical violence or damage.
Many of the rioters have please guilty to “parading, demonstrating, or picketing inside the Capitol building” according to The Post. Those who did will serve a maximum punishment of six months in jail and a fine of $5,000. But, some of the cases must be further analyzed and needs more evidence to ensure that rioters are charged correctly.
As per reports, one man was about to be sentenced to a misdemeanor charge before a recorded video of him assaulting a police officer surfaced. The case raised concerns from U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan saying why was the video not found sooner.
“We have to make sure we have everything we need to have,” Hogan said.
Also Read Study: More Than Third Of COVID-19 Survivors Experience Long-Haul Symptoms
