• Howard Richardson, 72, of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, is sentenced to 46 months in prison.
• He used a giant Trump billboard as a battering ram when rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
• Judge: “It was an insurrection, it was not a protest”.

An angry Donald Trump supporter who attacked law authorities with a Trump flag and joined a crowd that used a huge Trump billboard as a battering ram as rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 was given a 46-month jail sentence on Friday.

The government claimed King of Prussia, Pennsylvania resident Howard Richardson, 72, “contributed to the breach of the police barrier that immediately led to the assault of the Capitol doors.” According to the government, federal prosecutors requested a 46-month prison sentence for Richardson, who is the father of a 20-year police veteran.

The government added (typographical error in “unphased”): “Richardson also incorrectly insisted that he carried a ‘Back the Blue’ flag on January 6 and not a Trump flag. Richardson made this assertion despite the fact that the video footage clearly demonstrates his flag is a blue and red ‘Trump’ flag.

Richardson was given a sentence of more than 3.5 years in jail by Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly because she found that he had mislead the FBI twice and reduced his activities during his plea hearing.

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The video clearly showed that Richardson was “extremely agitated” when he swung his flagpole bearing the Trump flag at an officer, Kollar-Kotelly said, adding that this was a severe infraction.

There is no alternative explanation, according to Kollar-Kotelly, and the intention must be to harm the officer.

She continued, “It was an insurrection, not a demonstration, and most definitely not a peaceful one.

Richardson apologised to the court for his behavior.

Richardson apologized, he said. “This was in no way my aim at all.” He claimed that because he believed Republicans would prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s victory, he was anticipating a party and a “celebration.”

Richardson admitted to hitting an officer with a flag pole because “I lost my patience.” “I shouldn’t have done that at all… I have no justification for what I did.”

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