In Jan. 6 case, judge gives Texas man 5 years in prison, $200,000 fine

May 2 (UPI) -- A key participant in the January 6, 2021, riots on the U.S. Capitol who was accused of assaulting police with pepper spray and attempting to incite more violence has been sentenced to as many as five years in prison and fined $200,000, a U.S. District Court judge announced Thursday.

Ryan Nichols pleaded guilty last fall to a felony count of obstructing justice in the Jan. 6 case, as well as a felony count of assaulting Capitol police officers while they were doing their jobs.

U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who sentenced Nichols on Thursday, said that while the defendant's apology "appears to be sincere," Nichols made "very rigorous comments" that were recorded about his desire for more violence in the future.

Nichols, 33, of Longview, Texas, has been a longtime ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump.

"So if you want to know where Ryan Nichols stands? Ryan Nichols stands for violence," Nichols said in a video played in the courtroom before his sentencing. "You need to get your weapons."

Nichols had been recognized by daytime TV show host Ellen DeGeneres for his hurricane relief work, but he used that notoriety and at least part of the the resources she gave him in support of his insurrection effort, the video shows.

His attorneys argued that Nichols, a Marine Corps veteran who suffered from PTSD, had not been taking his prescribed medications during the Jan. 6 riot and, therefore, was not acting in a way that he normally would. They asked Lamberth to release Nichols, citing all those factors and the fact that he has already spent three years in confinement.

The $200,000 fine is the largest yet levied in conjunction with the Capitol riots, and officials arrived at that number because they said Nichols refused to take part in a financial analysis and there was no evidence he couldn't pay the fine, officials said.

A crowdfunding account established for Nichols and his family has so far raised $235,000. Nichol's attorney said the defendant planned to appeal the fine.

Prompted by a baseless belief that the 2020 presidential election was "stolen," Nichols traveled with his friend Alex Kirk Harkrider, 36, according to court documents.

In the days leading up to their road trip to Washington, D.C., the two exchanged text messages about various body armor and weapons, and were planning and organizing the trip, according to prosecutors.

Nichols also told Harkrider in another text that, "Dad and I are building a gun container in the truck today. Just know I have intel that Washington will be a warzone. Big possibility that actual battle goes down," court documents show.

Harkrider was found guilty in January on charges of civil disorder, obstruction of a civil proceeding, assaulting/resisting/impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, theft of government property.

Federal officials began charging rioters as far back as 2021. People in every state have been charged, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

"More than 1,265 defendants have been charged in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia," the department said in an analysis.