WASHINGTON — A military veteran who was convicted of injuring a police officer’s hand during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Friday to five years in prison.
John George Todd III declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced him. The judge said Todd, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, hasn’t shown any remorse for his role in damaging the country’s “fragile” democratic institutions.
“This is not a patriot. This is not conduct becoming of a Marine,” the judge told Todd, 34.
Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of 12 years and seven months for Todd, who traveled from his Missouri home to attend then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
“As the country approaches anther contentious election year, one that will see a rematch of the 2020 Presidential election that was at issue for the rioters on January 6, every January 6 sentencing sends a message about the importance of democratic values and the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote.
After entering the Capitol, Todd repeatedly pushed against officers inside the Rotunda, ignored commands to leave and screamed profanities at police.
Todd was carrying a fiberglass pole attached to a flag. When a Metropolitan Police Department officer tried to grab it from him, Todd and the officer wrestled for control of the pole until it splintered and cut the officer’s hand.
The officer, Noah…
