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Ohio man gets 5 years for his role in Capitol riot

An Ohio man who repeatedly attacked police officers as he joined a mob of Donald Trump supporters in storming the U.S. Capitol was sentenced on Thursday to nearly five years in prison.

Kenneth Joseph Owen Thomas has acted as a “one-man misinformation machine” since the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, using his social media platforms to spread false narratives about the attack, according to federal prosecutors. They say Thomas produces more than 20 hours of Jan. 6-related online content every week.

“The primary message Thomas attempts to convey throughout all of his appearances is ‘Jan 6th was a Setup,’ words that are emblazoned front and center on the landing page for the website and ‘brand’ he created after his arrest,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing.

U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich sentenced Thomas, 41, of East Liverpool, Ohio, to four years and 10 months of incarceration, according to online court records. The judge also ordered him to pay a $20,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution.

Prosecutors recommended a prison term of nine years and one month and sought a fine of $77,607. Thomas, they say, has raised at least that much money in online forums, including a website called, “Help Joseph Thomas Let Freedom Sing.”

Thomas was arrested in Huntsville, Alabama, in May 2021. In June 2023, a jury in Washington, D.C., convicted Thomas of assault charges and other offenses. Jurors also acquitted him of two counts, including obstruction of a congressional proceeding, and deadlocked on two other counts.

Thomas’ attorneys said he is “brutally aware of the seriousness of his conduct” on Jan. 6 and takes “full and complete responsibility for his actions.”

“None of the officers contacted by Mr. Thomas on Jan. 6 reported any physical pain or injuries attributed to Mr. Thomas. In fact at least one of the officers openly admitted under oath in open court that he didn’t even remember Mr. Thomas at all,” the defense lawyers wrote.

More than 100 police officers were injured at the Capitol, where the mob temporarily stopped Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory over Trump.

Thomas attended Trump’s Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House with his wife and daughter, but he left them behind as he marched to the Capitol.

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