'NOT ABOVE THE LAW'

D.C. Proud Boy Sentenced to 55 Months for Role in Jan. 6

Joshua Pruitt did not assault officers, but faced them in the Capitol. Now he's going to jail.

A federal judge sentenced D.C. bartender and Proud Boys member Joshua Pruitt to 55 months in federal prison plus three years of supervised release on Monday, after Pruitt pleaded guilty to obstructing an official congressional proceeding in June. Pruitt, whose Proud Boys membership was approved shortly before the riot, has a lengthy criminal history of assaulting police, cocaine possession, and drunk driving convictions. On Jan. 6, the 40-year-old father of a 9- and 11-year-old wore a “Punisher” tank top and was photographed in the Capitol chucking a sign and throwing a chair in the Capitol Visitors Center. Pruitt was also spotted on security camera footage heading toward Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Schumer got away without ever actually coming in contact. “You were acting somewhat in concert with others,” U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly told Pruitt. “You did get into the building early, you did penetrate deeply into the building, you did damage property, you played a role in amping up the crowd, you did get very close to one of our national leaders.” Pruitt, who said he had been blacklisted from the D.C. restaurant business, apologized for Jan. 6 but said he still believes the election was stolen: “I’m not happy that January 6th happened at all,” he told the judge. “Yes, I was wrong and I broke the laws, and I do apologize for that.”