Rioter Who Lounged on Pelosi’s Desk Gets 4.5 Years in Prison
Richard “Bigo” Barnett became infamous for the photo of him with his feet propped up on Pelosi’s desk and a stun gun tucked into his waistband.

Saul Loeb/Getty Images
The cocky rioter who infamously kicked his feet up on Nancy Pelosi’s desk as MAGA fans stormed the Capitol was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison on Wednesday. Richard “Bigo” Barnett became notorious for a photograph of him sitting at the former House Speaker’s desk with his feet propped up and a stun device tucked into his waistband. In January, he was convicted on eight charges related to the riot. Barnett told jurors that he was remorseful for his “crass” joke but, after he was convicted, he ranted about being a victim of “political persecution.” During his sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Christopher Cooper dismissed arguments from Barnett’s lawyers that he had intended to demonstrate peacefully and was instead “unfortunately caught up in the events that turned an ordinary Wednesday into what will forever be known as ‘January 6.’”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.