Aug 18, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Capitol rioter's sentencing delayed after new video of alleged police assault

TuAnh Dam

Supporters of US President Donald Trump roam under the Capitol Rotunda after invading the Capitol building on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. — Supporters of former President Trump in the Capitol Rotunda after invading the Capitol building on Jan. 6. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

A federal judge delayed the sentencing of a Capitol rioter hours after video footage surfaced that allegedly showed him assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Why this matters: Robert Reeder, of Maryland, was due to be sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. But prosecutors requested a delay due to the new video evidence, tweeted by the Sedition Hunters, an online group seeking to hold Capitol rioters to account, per CNN.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Rothstein told the court the delay would allow the prosecution time to review the videos.

Driving the news: Rothstein said the government initially planned to recommend Reeder spend two months in jail, but the new videos of the alleged assault led him to revise the sentence to six months — the maximum for Reeder's misdemeanor.

Robert Bonsib, Reeder's lawyer. said he didn't think the newly surfaced videos would change his client's defense, according to BuzzFeed News.

What's next: U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan granted Rothstein's request and Reeder’s sentencing was moved to Oct. 8.

The big picture: More than 500 people have been charged for participating in the Capitol attack.

Indiana grandmother Anna Morgan-Lloyd was the first person to be sentenced in connection to the Capitol riot. She was ordered to complete 40 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution in June.

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Capitol rioter's sentencing delayed after new video of alleged police assault

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