Doug Jensen, Capitol rioter among first in building, sentenced to 5 years in prison

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Iowa construction worker who was among the first rioters to enter the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced to 5 years in prison, 36 months supervised release and $2,000 of restitution Friday.

Des Moines native Doug Jensen was among the most prominent of the rioters in photos and video of the melee. He wore a "Q" T-shirt the day of the riot, an homage to the conspiracist movement QAnon, confronted law enforcement officers and lead "the violent crowd past the police line," court officials said.

Before the sentence was announced, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly acknowledged mitigating factors — like Jensen's mental health and dozens of favorable letters submitted to the court by his friends and family. But he said Jensen's statement did not suggest he understood "why what happened was wrong," Kelly said.

"It snapped our previously unbroken tradition of peaceful transfer of power. We can't get that back," Kelly said. "I wish I could say I had evidence you understood this cannot be repeated."

After handing down the sentence, Kelly emphasized to Jensen that, despite his wrongdoing, he's "not a monster."

“We’ve talked a lot about how you were not a hero and not a patriot (on Jan. 6, 2021), but you, like everyone else who comes through my courtroom, are not a monster either," Kelly said. "You made a serious mistake … but don’t lose sight of your intrinsic value as a person.”

In the sentencing, Kelly ordered Jensen to undergo a mental health treatment evaluation.

Jensen addressed the court Friday saying "I can't change my past, I can just look to the future." He added that he doesn't plan to get "involved in the judicial system" again and he wants to go back to being the "family man" he was before he "got involved in politics.''

Throughout the proceeding Friday, Jensen frequently looked to his wife, April, for reassurance, giving her thumbs up, blown kisses and exasperated looks.

In September, he was convicted of assaulting a police officer, interfering with law enforcement, and five other criminal charges for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.

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'Jensen was the rioter who would not back down'

During his trial, prosecutors showed extensive video and photographs of Jensen parading through the Capitol. The jury also heard testimony from law enforcement with whom he clashed in the building.

According to testimony and video, Jensen pursued U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase inside the building. Goodman later said that the Iowa man encouraged fellow rioters to "keep running" because the officer was just "one person — we're thousands."

"Jensen was the rioter who would not back down," prosecutors argued. "If it wasn't all recorded from at least 10 different angles, it'd be pretty hard to believe."

Jensen's attorney, Christopher Davis, had argued that Jensen was "dressed in costume," not "dressed for battle," like some at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The COVID-19 pandemic "did weird things to everyone," perhaps Jensen more than others, Davis argued, repeatedly calling the Iowa rioter a "confused man."

"He believed (QAnon)," Davis said. "He honestly believed it. … There's no other explanation for what he did that day."

Capitol riot arrests: See who's been charged across the U.S.

The Justice Department sought a 64-month prison term for Jensen, plus three years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine, according to court filings.

"(Jensen) came to Washington, D.C., prepared for violence, and when the day approached, he played a significant role leading the violent crowd past the police line, into the building and through the halls of the Capitol," prosecutors' sentencing memo said.

The memo described Jensen as "a ringleader during the attack on the U.S. Capitol."

Arguing for the government's sentencing recommendation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Allen described Jensen as a "leader" and recalled his self-description as a "poster boy" for the Capitol attack.

U.S. Capitol Police Inspector Thomas Loyd, who testified in Jensen's September trial, read a statement Friday, earlier submitted to the court, claiming that, had Goodman not acted that day, Jensen and other rioters would have done far more damage.

"If Officer Goodman had not led the defendant and the rest of the mob away from the Senate lobby and an attempt was made to breach those doors, there would have been tremendous bloodshed," Loyd said.

The defense asked for a 27-month sentence, arguing Jensen is "an uneducated union laborer who became overwhelmed by conspiracy theories."

Jensen's attorney told the judge before the sentence that his client had a "childhood of horrors" that began in infancy.

"The context of his childhood influenced his belief system," Jensen's attorney added.

Addressing Jensen directly, Kelly said the Iowa man played a "leading role in egging the mob forward" on Jan. 6.

"Who knows what would have happened if Officer Goodman hadn't led you in the other direction?" Kelly said. "It is a miracle more people weren't injured that day."

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Inside the courtroom: OnPolitics: What we learned in the courtroom for Capitol rioter Doug Jensen's trial

Other people convicted of Jan. 6 crimes include 6 Iowans

Defendants who attacked police officers on Jan. 6 have tended to get longer sentences than other rioters. The longest was 10 years given to a retired New York police officer and Marine veteran, Thomas Webster, who attacked and choked an officer.

Federal prosecutors have charged more than 880 people in 48 states with participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and arrests continue.

This week, Deborah Sandoval, 56, of Des Moines pleaded guilty to a single charge of entering a restricted building for her role in attack on the Capitol. She was slated to go on trial Wednesday.

Her son, Salvador Sandoval, 25, of Ankeny, moved forward with a court trial after his mother's guilty plea. On Thursday, D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas Hogan found him guilty of all charges after a two-day trial, according to online court records. Sandoval shoved and wrestled with several police officers inside the Capitol.

They are among seven Iowans who have been convicted of charges related to the riot. Leo Kelly of Cedar Rapids is the only Iowan who has a case still outstanding. Kelly is scheduled for trial in January.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Doug Jensen trial: Iowan gets 5 years for role in Capitol riot