A former US state department official has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for his role in the US Capitol riot.
Federico Klein, 45, was convicted in July on 12 charges, including assaulting officers and obstructing an official proceeding.
Prosecutors said Klein was in the first wave of rioters to enter a Capitol tunnel on 6 January 2021.
“You can’t stop this!” he said, wedging open doors with a stolen police shield.
The former Marine spent over an hour pushing against the line of officers and encouraged others to attack police, according to evidence presented during the trial.
At the time, Klein held the position of South America specialist at the state department, a role he was appointed to by the Trump administration in 2017.
He resigned from the job on 19 Jan 2021, one day before President was inaugurated.
Prior to his role at the state department, Klein worked for Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
He was sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison at a hearing on Friday.
Prosecutors had requested a sentence of 10 years.
However, in a pre-sentencing memo, Klein’s lawyers argued that the government was exaggerating his role in the riot.
They stated that he “should be sentenced for his actual role in the events of the day, and not the more egregious conduct of others”.
The defense team had requested a sentence of 40 days in prison followed by probation.
During the court hearing on Friday, US District Judge Trevor McFadden referred to Klein’s actions as “shocking and egregious”.
More than 1,100 individuals have been charged in connection with the riot.
The harshest sentences have been handed down to leaders of organized groups involved in the chaos.
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