First Jan. 6 rioter to breach the Capitol sentenced to prison

The intrigue: Prosecutors in Sparks' case dropped the obstruction charge against him — one that the Justice Department had relied on in more than 300 Jan. 6 cases (Trump's included) — ahead of sentencing.

• That move followed the Supreme Court's June ruling that prosecutors must show a defendant interfered with documents, records or other material parts of an official proceeding to prove an obstruction charge, punting the central case back to a lower court.
• But Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, said he would still take into account the conduct presented at trial, contending it was clear Sparks wanted to obstruct the counting of votes, NBC reported.

Flashback: Sparks was convicted by a jury in March of all six charges he faced, including felony obstruction of an official proceeding, civil disorder and multiple misdemeanor offenses.

• According to court filings, Sparks entered the building that day through a window — despite being pepper sprayed and warned to stop — and was part of the mob that chased officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs.
• "This is our America!" Sparks shouted at officers.

• A U.S. Capitol Police sergeant testified that Sparks acted as "a green light" for those who followed him into the building that day.

Zoom in: Before being sentenced, Sparks told Kelly he still believes the 2020 presidential election was "completely taken from the American public," per AP.

• Prosecutors detailed the way Sparks became increasingly agitated online following Trump's loss, even affirming he wanted "a civil war" days before the attack.
• "I believe in the constitution so I'll die f[o]r it," he wrote on the social media site Parler, per court filings. "Trump is my president."

Go deeper: Former Jan. 6 committee chair says Trump is "plotting again"