A New Jersey man awaiting sentencing for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is complaining to the judge about difficulties he faces with air travel while pleading for leniency.
James Douglas “JD” Rahm III, 29, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds of the Capitol in October.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper asking for leniency in his sentence, Rahm complained about trouble he has had with airport security while traveling, CBS News reported.
“I also believe I am on a terrorist watchlist, because flying has become a huge problem,” Rahm wrote.
He continued: “Airlines refuse to allow me to check in or board. After waiting about 1-2 hours standing at a desk, I am finally issued a boarding pass. Then TSA takes me for a personal screening which is intense, uncomfortable, intrusive, and lengthy. TSA sets up an additional security check at the gate. They empty all my belongings, while the other passengers wait to board. This has happened the last 4 times I have flown. This treatment is extremely inconvenient and embarrassing for me and for my girlfriend, who suffers the same treatment, just for flying with me.”
“The stigma has affected personal relationships. Some neighbors no longer speak with me. Some friends have exited my life,” he added.
Prosecutors say Rahm stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 with his father, James Rahm Jr., who has been charged separately and was sentenced to a year in jail.
Rahm was in a crowd of rioters that pushed against a police line allowing a doorway to be breached so rioters could enter the building, according to the Courier Post.
“While Rahm has maintained that he did not knowingly push in an effort to breach the doors, he was in the middle of the pack when the push happened,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Collyer wrote in a sentencing memo.
Once inside the Capitol, Rahm entered Nancy Pelosi’s suite where “terrified” staffers were “hiding under tables and behind furniture” in one of the offices, the DOJ said. He also smoked marijuana in the Capitol Rotunda.
The Justice Department is asking Judge Cooper to sentence Rahm to four months in prison. While his lawyer is asking for probation. Rahm’s sentencing is set for Jan. 25.
