44-year-old Palmyra sentenced to serve 45 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 riot

A 44-year-old Palmyra man will serve more than three years and seven months in federal prison for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates to 45 months in prison, three months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $4,729 in restitution. Bates found Bozell guilty of 10 charges, including four felonies, on Sept. 8, 2023.

"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case," officials said in a release Friday. "The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania provided valuable assistance."

In a sentencing memo filed May 3, federal prosecutors said they were seeking a terrorism sentencing enhancement for Bozell and asking the court for an 11-year prison sentence.

"There are few rioters on January 6 who were involved in as many pivotal breaches as Bozell," prosecutors said in their sentencing memorandum. "He positioned himself at the forefront of the mob during pivotal moments of the attack as he actively and aggressively propelled the momentum of the mob from the Senate Wing Doors ― where he personally created entry points for hundreds of rioters — all the way to the Senate Chamber, which he occupied rendering it impossible for Congress to meet."

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Bozell was found guilty in September of 10 charges that include obstructing an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; destruction of government property and aiding and abetting; civil disorder, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers.

Bozell attended then-President Donald Trump's "Stop the Steal" movement at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, then proceeded to the Capitol grounds, according to court documents. Video obtained by prosecutors shows Bozell was in the first group of rioters to enter the Capitol building, entering the Capitol grounds shortly before 2 p.m.

"As rioters continued to assault officers, Bozell used a bike rack barrier as a ladder to climb part way up the balustrade and supply the violent rioters on the stairs with objects, including a long white pole," officials said in a release Friday. "Around 1:48 p.m., at the base of the Northwest Stairs near the entrance of the scaffolding, rioters, Bozell included, surged forward and overran a police line."

After having joined rioters in overrunning four lines of police officers by 2:12 p.m., officials said Bozell stepped past the toppled bike racks and darted towards the Senate Wing Door. Along the way, they said, Bozell picked up a heavy metal object from the ground.

"He used the heavy metal object and immediately started bashing the windowpane, striking it at least (10) times and shattering the glass," they said. "Bozell moved a couple of feet over to the large window directly north of the Senate Wing Door. He bashed that window at least eleven times until the glass shattered and littered the floor."

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After climbing through the window, Bozell and other rioters chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs to the Ohio clock corridor, where other officers were waiting. Video then showed Bozell entered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, with prosecutors saying he appeared to have something in his hand when he left.

Soon after, Bozell was recorded on the balcony of the Senate Chamber as the chants of "Treason! Treason!' could be heard. While still in the Senate Gallery, he climbed over railings and reached a pair of CSPAN cameras.

"Bozell pointed one camera at the ground, obstructing its recording ability, just as rioters made it to the Senate Floor," officials said. "Bozell made it to the Senate floor shortly after that and later left the Capitol Building at 3:07 p.m. , having spent almost an hour inside."

Bozell, also known as Zeeker, was wearing a red-and-white hat and a distinctive blue sweatshirt with “Hershey Christian Academy” across the front during the riot. He was arrested in February 2021 after an FBI tipster identified him partially from his sweatshirt.

Bozell’s lawyer, William Shipley Jr., had asked the court for a three-year maximum prison sentence, saying he made "a bad error in judgment that day to move with the crowd towards the Capitol building."

"Mr. Bozell does not deny his involvement in the events of January 6th," Shipley said in a sentencing memo filed May 3. "He does maintain, however, that his motivation for attending the rally was not to commit violence or destruction."

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Bozell's case was investigated by the FBI's Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 40 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,424 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony.

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Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Palmyra man to serve 45 months for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot