WASHINGTON -- The rioter stormed the U.S. Capitol. Capitol on January. 6 and directed the mob towards the Speaker's Lobby, where another rioter was murdered was sentenced on Thursday to 75 days imprisonment
Jeffrey Register, 39, is from Florida. He was wearing a sweatshirt titled "God, Guns & Trump" and a skullcap titled "2020 Keep America Great" when he stormed Capitol. He agreed to a plea deal that he called the group and asked them to move forward. The mob then reached Speaker's Lobby outside of the House floor, where Ashli was killed. Register also admitted that he had deleted photos and done a factory reset of his cellphone.
The sentence was handed down by Timothy J. Kelly, U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia. He was nominated to do so by Donald Trump.
Kelly called Jan. 6, a "national disgrace" that ruined a long history of peaceful transfers in power in the United States.
Kelly stated, "We can't get it back."
Register also stated that Register "helped to direct the mob at a crucial moment" and was "very fortunate" that he wasn’t charged with obstruction as other Jan.6 defendants. He said that Register's plea was a result of good legal advice.
Federal prosecutors requested a five-month sentence behind bars for the defendant, arguing that his conduct was "significantly more aggravating" than other misdemeanors.
"He seemed to be looking for an alternative route to Members, but he ultimately waved the crowd towards an apparently weaker access point. The entrance to the Speaker's Lobby," prosecutors wrote. Register was present as a witness and Ashli Babbitt was shot to death while trying to break through the hastily constructed entrance.
Register stated that he thought "We made it", and now the FBI knows that he is here, when he reached Speaker's Lobby doors.
Later, he messaged a woman to say he was trying his best "to keep an low profile" and that he had "deleted Twitter/Facebook."
He joked about how he stormed Capitol to send a message his father.
He wrote to his father, "Maybe when all is said and done government will provide me a bumper sticker that says: Proud Parent of a Capitol Insurrectionist."
Register's criminal record was cited by the government, who suggested that Register's punishment for storming the Capitol should have been more severe than his sentence for driving with a suspended license after he had been convicted of a DWI.
Prosecutors wrote that Register's actions of breaching the nation’s legislative seat of authority, running law enforcement and redirecting an agitated mob within yards of a direct confrontation of Members of Congress, while the Vice President hid were clearly many times more serious and deserving punishment than his previous misdemeanor offences. His offense is not something that thousands of people commit every day. It is a crime unlike any other in the history and culture of this nation.
, Register's federal public defense lawyer, claimed that he was fed lies and disingenuous instructions by people who should have known better and that January 6 was not his fault. He was also not as responsible for the physical harm to Capitol residents.
"Arguably the former president, rally organizers and speakers, as well as other nefarious and organized groups contributed greatly to the chaos and are much more culpable" the public defender stated.
Register was told by his lawyer that he was fired from his job following his arrest and that he was able to find a job at a distribution firm in September.
On Thursday, Register's lawyer claimed in court that her client needed no further deterrence.
Cara Halverson stated that his wife was still upset by him for making this decision. "He must live with the sound of the gunshot which killed Ashli Babbitt."
She argued that sending him to prison for five years would not change his mind about the people who would march on the Capitol to support a losing candidate's attempts to win the next election. She said that jail time would not make the "irrational" think rationally.
Register, an unvaccinated person, addressed the court using a podium that was far from the judge due to his status. Register wore a suit and apologized to the American people and police officers for his actions.
He said, "I have no excuse" for my actions. "I am truly sorry."
In connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, the FBI made over 740 arrests, and hundreds more are currently in the making.
