Comedian Jay Johnston has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
In July, he pleaded guilty to one felony count of interfering with law enforcement officers who were trying to prevent a mob of Trump supporters from storming the U.S. Capitol.
Johnston, 56, who rose to prominence in Hollywood in the mid-1990s, was fired from his role in the animated series Bob’s Burgers in December 2021 after he was identified as a possible rioter.
Prosecutors had sought to extend Johnston’s sentence, and his lawyers countered that the U.S. “Continuous exaggeration” Actor’s role in the attack.
Johnston spoke briefly at a Washington, D.C., courthouse Monday before sentencing and called his role in the attack “reprehensible,” ABC News reported.
Judge Carl Nichols cited Johnston’s successful acting career as a “more puzzling and disturbing” reason for his involvement.
Authorities said Johnston “joined other rioters in a collective attack on police officers protecting the entrance to the Capitol” and “helped move stolen police riot shields,” according to body camera and CCTV footage.
A police officer was injured at the west entrance.
According to U.S. prosecutors, Johnston showed little remorse for his actions while showing “clear knowledge of and participation in the violence used by rioters that day.”
As evidence, prosecutors cited a photo showing Johnston dressed as a so-called “QAnon shaman” at a Halloween party two years after the 2021 incident.
Prosecutors also said Johnston sent messages to friends and family in the days after the riot claiming the severity of the attack was “exaggerated by the media.”
Johnston’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, wrote in a sentencing memorandum that his client was treated unfairly “because he is an acclaimed Hollywood actor and the government is using his position to The public expresses its views.”
Woodward said Johnston had “essentially been blacklisted from Hollywood” and had “worked as a handyman for the past two years – clearly a far cry from his actual expertise and livelihood in film and television.” .
Johnston had supporting roles in the hit comedy film Anchorman and in the TV series Mr Show, Arrested Development and Bob’s Burgers, where he played the fan-favorite character Italian restaurateur Jimmy Pace Ask for dubbing.
Nearly 1,500 people have been charged in connection with the January 6, 2021 riots. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, nearly 900 people have pleaded guilty to various crimes and more than 180 have been convicted at trial.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would pardon some or all of the rioters – whom he called “hostages” and “political prisoners” – if he wins the Nov. 5 election.
He did not elaborate on who he would release or what criteria he would use to select them.
