Trump supporters stand on the U.S. Capitol Police armored vehicle as others take over the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
A former UCLA student was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison on Wednesday over his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot.
The big picture: Christian Secor, a self-described fascist who was still enrolled at the college at the time, was among a group of rioters forcing their way through a doorway into the Capitol that was blocked by police officers, according to the Department of Justice.
- The 24-year-old was charged with obstructing Congress, civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, among others.
- Secor pleaded guilty in May and faces 42 months in prison, three years of supervised release and $2,000 in restitution.
Details: Secor wore a red MAGA cap and carried a large blue flag with "America First" written on it after joining the mob invading the Capitol building. He sat in the House speaker's chair at one point, video footage shows.
- Federal prosecutors say Secor, an avid follower of far-right white nationalist Nick Fuentes, openly posted calls for America to become a whites-only nation.
- Secor also served as president of the UCLA campus organization America First Bruins — a movement spearheaded by Fuentes.
What they're saying: Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump nominee who oversaw Secor's case, called his actions "about as blatant and obstructive as any [he's] seen from that day that didn't include actual violence," NPR reports.
Go deeper: Congress braces for new members who were at Capitol on Jan. 6