WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump supporter who attacked officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol while wearing a “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” sweatshirt was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison on Friday, lashing out at the Trump-appointed judge who sentenced him.
Federal prosecutors had sought 14 years in federal prison for Christopher Quaglin, saying the New Jersey man was one of the most violent Jan. 6 rioters and “viciously assaulted numerous officers” after calling for “Civil War” and boasting about armed patriots storming the Capitol.
“On at least a dozen occasions, Quaglin stood face-to-face with officers as he screamed at, pushed with outstretched arms, punched, swatted, and slapped officers; pushed bike racks into officers; and even choked one officer to the ground,” prosecutors wrote.
Quaglin gave a lengthy statement at his sentencing, lashing out at Judge Trevor McFadden after the 12-year sentence was imposed.
“You’re Trump’s worst mistake of 2016,” Quaglin said to McFadden, who was appointed by Trump in 2017.
Quaglin’s 12-year sentence is amongst the longest handed out to rioters in the nearly three years since the Capitol attack. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 1,400 people and secured over 1,000 convictions. While hundreds of defendants have received probationary sentences, more than 500 have been sentenced to periods of incarceration that have ranged from a few days behind bars to 22 years in federal prison.
McFadden said that Quaglin, an electrician by trade, had attacked his “fellow blue collar Americans” on Jan. 6 while wearing the “stars and stripes” of the United States.
“What an outrage,” McFadden said. “What a disgrace.”
McFadden said that it was clear that, unlike some Jan. 6 rioters who got caught up in the moment, Quaglin had planned for that day for a while and made efforts to bring gear to the Capitol in support of his desire to engage in “civil war.” He said that Quaglin had become a propagandist for Jan. 6 defendants, spreading lies about the attack and claiming it was mostly peaceful, even though Quaglin knew by his own personal actions that wasn’t the case.
“You were anything but peaceful on that day,” McFadden said. “You’re a menace to our society.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
