Former VA Cop Gets 7+ Years In Prison Over Jan. 6 Riot: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — A former Virginia police sergeant was sentenced to serve 87 months in prison for his role in storming the U.S. Capitol with other pro-Donald Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a report by the Washington Post.

Thomas Robertson, a former officer with the police department in Rocky Mount, was found guilty in April of six charges stemming from his involvement in the riot. Charges included impeding law enforcement officers, obstructing an official proceeding, entering and remaining on restricted grounds and tampering with evidence.

Robertson's sentence matches the longest handed down in connection with the attack so far. Earlier this month, Guy Reffitt of Texas was sentenced to 7 years and three months in prison after prosecutors said he "lit the match" of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, the Texas Tribune reported.

Robertson and co-defendant Jacob Fracker were both off duty when they entered the U.S. Capitol along with other rioters on Jan. 6, according to police. Inside the building, a joint session of Congress was preparing to certify President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

Robertson and Fracker were photographed in the Capitol building making an obscene gesture in front of a statue of American Revolutionary War Gen. John Stark.

In social media posts, Robertson is quoted as saying, "CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us."

Fracker was scheduled to be tried alongside Robertson before he pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge in March and agreed to cooperate with authorities.

When recommending the eight-year sentence, prosecutors said Robertson abused his position of trust as a law enforcement officer, Reuters reported. Robertson's attorney is seeking a sentence no longer than 15 months.