Prosecutors are seeking the longest prison sentence in a Jan. 6 case for a former NYPD police officer convicted of assaulting police during the Capitol riot.
Thomas Webster,56, a Marine Corps veteran who once served on the protective detail of former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, was convicted in a Washington, D.C., federal court in May on all six charges he faced, including assaulting law enforcement.
According to court documents Webster, wielding a large metal flagpole, elbowed his way to the front of the crowd of Trump supporters attacking the police barricade during the riot and yelled at one of the officers, “You fucking piece of shit. You fucking commie motherfuckers, man.”
Bodycam footage released by the DOJ shows Webster using the flagpole to hit the metal barricade then tackled an officer to the ground and attempted to gouge out the officer’s eyes.
In a new court filing the DOJ recommends a prison sentence of 210 months — more than 17 years —for Webster. The sentence doubles the longest prison terms handed down in any Capitol riot case so far, according to CBS News. Guy Reffitt was sentenced to more than seven years.
Webster’s lawyer, James Monroe, is asking the judge for a shorter sentence. Monroe said his client disavowed claims of fraud in the 2020 election and included letters from friends and family describing him as “a person of strong faith, integrity, and moral values.”
Webster’s sentencing hearing is set for September 1.
