Owen Shroyer, a host on the right-wing InfoWars conspiracy theory platform, was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in prison after pleading guilty for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Photo from federal court filing
Sept. 12 (UPI) — Owen Shroyer, a host of the right-wing conspiracy theory platform InfoWars, was sentenced Tuesday to 60 days in prison after pleading guilty for his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Shroyer on one misdemeanor count of entering and remaining on restricted grounds, despite Shroyer never entering the Capitol building during the riot.
Shroyer told the court Tuesday, “I was not a part of any larger plan for illegal activity or violence that day.”
“You kind of stand out as a unique case,” Kelly said during sentencing, adding that Shroyer “played a role in amping up crowds.”
According to court documents, InfoWars focused on Jan. 6 — following the 2020 election — as Shroyer “spread election disinformation” leading up to the riot. Documents also show that Shroyer spoke of stopping the certification of the 2020 presidential election Electoral College vote.
On Jan. 6, Shroyer attended former President Donald Trump‘s speech at the Ellipse and addressed a crowd at Washington, D.C.’s Freedom Plaza, saying “Americans are ready to fight.”
“We’re not exactly sure what that’s going to look like perhaps in a couple of weeks if we can’t stop this certification of the fraudulent election … we are the new revolution!” Shroyer said in 2021.
According to prosecutors, Shroyer carried a megaphone and led chants among rioters as they made their way to the Capitol.
In exchange for Shroyer’s guilty plea in June, three other misdemeanor charges were dropped. According to court documents, the charge of entering and remaining on restricted grounds carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
While the government urged a 120-day prison term, Shroyer’s defense team asked that he be spared jail time.
Shroyer “wore two hats: one that was that of outraged citizen who believed that an election had been rigged, the other as full-time journalist and commentator who sought a front-row seat at an historic event.”
Last week, Kelly sentenced ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Torrio to 22 years in prison for a domestic terrorism enhancement on a seditious conspiracy conviction. His sentence is the longest, to date, for any defendant tied to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.