A member of the Proud Boys, who bragged they were “running the cops” on a crowd that stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, was sentenced Friday to more than four years in prison, prosecutors said.
The US attorney’s office in Washington said that 51-year-old William Krestman from Olathe, Kansas, was sentenced to 4 years and 7 months in prison.
He pleaded guilty in October to obstructing official proceedings and threatening a federal officer.
Krestman was a member of the Kansas City, Missouri chapter of the Proud Boys, and during the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, he chanted “Go! Go! Go!” The US prosecutor’s office has released information about this.
Krestman later bragged that “we had cops running” and as officers tried to close the security doors, “we were throwing chairs in there to stop it, man,” prosecutors said.
The U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement Friday that the officers “legitimately feared” for their lives.
Prosecutors said he also threatened and brandished an ax handle at police who were trying to remove the rioters from the building, then used it to open a door to allow the crowd to enter.
Chrestman has already been in prison for 35 months, meaning he will have another 20 months to serve minus good behavior, his attorney, Michael Cronkright, said in an email Thursday.
Cronkright wrote in court documents before the sentencing that Krestman was a former Army medic and loving father who regretted his actions and was in personal turmoil over the pain he had caused his family.
“I have high expectations for him in the future and I have no doubt that he will do well once he is back with his family,” Cronkright said Friday.
Prosecutors argued that Krestman came prepared for violence, was frustrated that he couldn’t bring a gun and wore a helmet marked with orange tape so other Proud Boys could identify him.