Jan. 6 rioter Richard ‘Bigo’ Barnett is seen going to court, and in the inset, enjoying his invasion of Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s office. (Photo via AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta; Inset via DOJ)
A Jan. 6th rioter seen gleefully kicking his foot up on a desk inside of then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office had wanted the rest of the summer to “arrange for his affairs” before reporting to prison. That man, Richard “Bigo” Barnett, also wanted a federal judge to recommend a low-security camp for him to serve his 4 1/2-year prison sentence.
On Tuesday, a federal judge refused to make those recommendations, leaving Barnett’s fate in the hands of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
“Defendant has had ample time since his conviction to prepare for his incarceration and presents no compelling reasons to justify additional delay,” U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper wrote in a brief minute order. “Defendant’s request for a recommendation for a BOP placement beyond 500 miles from his home in order to qualify him for a minimum-security facility is also DENIED. Determinations regarding security-level placements lie in the sound discretion of BOP based on its internal criteria. The Court generally plays no role in those determinations.”
Barnett had requested a surrender date of Aug. 22, 2023, claiming it’s “not uncommon” to have a 90-day window between sentencing and prison. His attorney claimed that his client’s life circumstances warranted a summer recess.
“Specifically, Mr. Barnett’s significant other is disabled and he will need to liquidate personal property and try to earn some extra income to help her before he leaves,” his attorney Jonathan S. Gross wrote in a motion. “Additionally, he needs to do repairs to her home to make sure everything is in working order and other miscellaneous projects that will be unduly burdensome on her as she is not in a financial position to hire someone to do these projects.”
According to the motion, the Bureau of Prisons doesn’t typically support a prison recommendation that’s more than 500 miles away from the defendant’s residence. Barnett is from Gravette, Arkansas, a city of a little more than 3,500 people. Court papers do not disclose what prisons are being considered for Barnett’s term.
When photographed inside Pelosi’s office, Barnett smiled ear to ear with a stun gun in his pants and a foot kicked up on a desk. He left a note on the desk sneering: “Bigo was here b—-.” He then swiped an envelope from the office and claimed it as a prize in an interview outside of the building.
Barnett’s attorneys called his offense a nonviolent one and argued that he was being harshly punished because his case was “famous.” But Judge Cooper said that Barnett enjoyed the “notoriety.” A federal jury convicted him of obstructing an official proceeding, interfering with a police officer during a civil disorder, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous or deadly weapon, and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon.
The dangerous weapon was a 950,000-volt stun gun and walking stick, with the brand name “Hike ‘n Strike.”
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