The California man who punched a police officer in the neck during the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6 was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison on Wednesday.
Daniel “DJ” Rodriguez shouted “Trump won!” while being escorted from the courtroom after U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced him to 12 years and seven months in prison.
Jackson said Rodriguez, 40, was a “one-man army of hate, attacking police and destroying property” at the US Capitol.
“You showed up in (Washington) DC to pick a fight,” Jackson said. “You can’t blame anyone but yourself for what you did once you got there.”
Daniel “DJ” Rodriguez, 40, said on January 6 he was ready to fight and die for the US. He has now been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for his role in the riot
Rodriguez was one of about 1,000 people charged for their role in the riot
Only two other Capitol riot defendants have received longer prison terms after hundreds of convictions related to January 6 cases.
Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone was shown on his own body cam footage screaming in pain after Rodriguez shocked him with a stun gun as the officer was surrounded by a crowd.
Another rioter had dragged the officer into the crowd on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, where a line of police officers guarded an entrance to the building.
Other rioters began beating Fanone, who eventually lost consciousness and suffered a heart attack after Rodriguez pressed the stun gun to his neck and zapped him repeatedly.
Prior to sentencing, Fanone — who has written a book and participated in a number of interviews and congressional hearings on Jan. 6 — addressed the judge.
The now-retired law enforcement officer described how his experience at the Capitol prematurely ended his police career and made him a target for the MAGA movement.
“I don’t care about Daniel Rodriguez,” Fanone said the Washington Post. “I’ve long stopped thinking of him as a person.” Fanone said he was focused on the leader convincing Rodriguez and his friends that the 2020 election had been stolen and should be taken back by force.
Fanone did not remain in court for the duration of Rodriguez’s statement to the judge. The defendant has already served more than two years in prison and will be sentenced for the time he has served.
“I am hopeful that one day Michael Fanone will be okay. It sounds like he’s in a lot of pain,” Rodriguez said.
“Nothing he could have said to me today would have made any difference,” Fanone later said.
Former officer Michael Fanone was repeatedly harassed by Rodriguez and spoke at his sentencing hearing
Prosecutors had recommended a 14-year prison sentence for Rodriguez, who pleaded guilty in February to charges including assault against the officer.
They also demanded a fine of nearly $100,000 to offset the costs of Fanone’s medical bills and medical leave.
Rodriguez’s criminal conduct on January 6 was the epitome of disrespect for the law; he fought with law enforcement officers in the U.S. Capitol for hours, nearly costing an officer his life, to stop official proceedings inside,” prosecutors wrote in an indictment.
Rodriguez pleaded guilty to four felony counts, including conspiracy and assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The plea was entered about two weeks before the start of his trial in Washington, DC.
According to prosecutors, during the Jan. 6 riot, Rodriguez deployed a fire extinguisher to law enforcement officers and pushed a wooden pole at police before another member of the mob handed him what appeared to be a stun gun.
Fanone subsequently wrote a book about his experiences at the Capitol. He made a statement to the judge ahead of Rodriguez’s sentencing
Rodriguez (center) pleaded guilty in February, about two weeks before his trial was due to begin
During an interview with FBI agents following his arrest, Rodriguez said he believed he was doing the “right thing” on January 6 and was willing to die to “save the country.”
He cried as he spoke to the officers and told them he had been “stupid” and was ashamed of his behaviour.
‘Mr. Rodriguez blindly trusted and admired Trump so much that he referred to him as “dad” in his social media chats leading up to January 6,” Rodriguez’s lawyers explained.
More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the January 6 U.S. Capitol uprising. More than 700 of them have been convicted or have pleaded guilty, about 550 of them have been convicted. Some have received terms of as little as seven days or as long as 18 years.