WASHINGTON — A former Army soldier previously court-martialed for shooting a handcuffed Iraqi citizen was sentenced Monday to more than four years in federal prison for assaulting officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Edward Richmond, Jr.Inside the lower west tunnel leading to the Capitol, where some of the worst violence of the Jan. 6 attack took place, he charged at officers with a baton, shouting, “We’re going to break you, motherf—er!” according to to video evidence cited by prosecutors.
Richmond was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison earlier this year after pleading guilty to assaulting, resisting or obstructing an officer with a deadly weapon.
It was Richmond was arrested By the FBI in January after online detectives identified him as a man nicknamed “Buff Lightyear,” who was listed as number 182 on the FBI’s Capitol Violence website.
Back in 2004, Richmond was convicted of manslaughter after “headbutting a handcuffed Iraqi cowherd” and sentenced to three years in military prison before being dishonorably discharged, prosecutors said Jan. 6. case A few news accounts time confirmed those details. Due to this and other factors, Richmond a On January 6, a limited number of inmates were detained before trial.
Prosecutors said Richmond was “not deterred by his three-year court-martial from participating in the Capitol attack” and “also failed to comply with a significant parole restriction” for keeping a loaded A5-15 rifle in his home. .
Richmond’s attorneys wrote in the ruling memo he said he “realized the seriousness of his guilt” and came to Washington to ensure the safety of the Jan. 6 rally participant. “From the date of his arrest on January 6, 2021, Mr. Richmond led a productive life working as a solar panel technician and raising his son Zadeh alone,” they wrote. “He deserves a downward variant penalty.”
Both the prosecution and defense agreed that Richmond’s sentence should be between 51 and 63 months in federal prison. Prosecutors asked for the maximum sentence under the guidelines, 63 months, while the defense team asked for a lower sentence than the guidelines. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates eventually sentenced him to 51 months, a sentence at the low end of the guidelines.
Another Jan. 6 rioter, Christopher Maurer, was sentenced Monday to 50 months in prison after pleading guilty to assaulting, resisting or obstructing officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon earlier this year. Mauer was also there detained in the detention centerhe yelled “F— YOU A–HOLES!” at the officers and waved a long metal pipe at the officers.
More than 1,500 people have been arrested in connection with the Capitol attack, and federal prosecutors have so far convicted more than 1,100 defendants. More than 600 of those defendants were sentenced to prison sentences ranging from a few days to life imprisonment. 22 years in federal prison for Enrique TarrioProud Boys leader found guilty of seditious conspiracy.
On January 6, the newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, called the defendants “warriors,” “incredible patriots” political prisoners and “pledges,” and said he would”absolutely“forgive some if not allJanuary 6 from the defendants. The Trump-Vance transition team told NBC News last week that Trump’s pardons would be issued “within a day.”anywayAfter taking back the White House on January 20, 2025.