Judge sends Jan. 6 rioter to prison, rejecting government's lighter recommendation

“There have to be consequences for participating in an attempted violent overthrow of the government, beyond sitting at home,” Chutkan said…

Mazzocco’s 45-day sentence is the same as sentences that a different judge imposed last week for two other Capitol rioters who pleaded guilty to the parading misdemeanor; in those cases, however, the government had asked that those defendants spend four months in prison.

Chutkan gave less weight to Mazzocco’s early guilty plea, saying that he only decided to show remorse after it was clear he could face prison time. His sentence not only needed to deter him from participating in similar incidents in the future, she said, but also deter other people. She said the evidence showed Mazzocco didn’t go to the Capitol out of love for his country, but rather “to support one man … in total disregard of a lawfully conducted election.” She also chastised him for taking photos to document the “chaos” around him as if it were “entertainment.”