North Kingstown man sentenced for participation in Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol

Mark Reynolds, The Providence Journal
Updated ·3 min read
142

A North Kingstown man who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot must serve two months in prison.

Washington D.C. U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden gave Bernard J. Sirr two months of prison, followed by six months of home detention, and then another six months of less-restrictive supervised release, according to court records.

Proud Boy meetings and falsehoods created 'distorted mindset' for RI Jan. 6 rioter

During Sirr's sentencing hearing on Tuesday morning, McFadden also ordered Sirr to pay $2,000 in restitution. Prosecutors said Sirr's sentence includes 12 months of probation.

He allowed the 47-year-old to remain free on personal recognizance before he surrenders himself for his prison term.

Bernard Sirr
Bernard Sirr

Sirr read an apologetic statement to McFadden, which was obtained late Tuesday by The Providence Journal.

"I thought I came to DC on January 6 to protest and stop something horrible," it says. "I thought I was here to help. I had been told by the news and by social media that the election had been rigged and that votes had been stolen. I had been told our democracy would end if I didn't act to save it."

Acknowledging his own anger, Sirr told McFadden, "I was led by resentment, but I am the one who allowed myself to be led."

He apologized to his his wife and children -- "I am so sorry," he said -- and to the police:

"Though I never intended to cause you harm, I was part of a mob that threatened you," he said. "Mimicking others, I said things like 'pick the right side' though you were on the correct one."

Sirr, wearing a baseball cap, is seen at right in a screenshot taken from Government’s Sentencing Exhibit 1. According to prosecutors, Sirr joined the other rioters pushing against the police in an attempt to get into the U.S. Capitol.
Sirr, wearing a baseball cap, is seen at right in a screenshot taken from Government’s Sentencing Exhibit 1. According to prosecutors, Sirr joined the other rioters pushing against the police in an attempt to get into the U.S. Capitol.

He took responsibility for all damage caused by the riot he joined.

"I'm looking for forgiveness from my country," he said. "I have asked for forgiveness from God. I'm now ready for your decision and I am hopeful for your mercy."

Citing his remorsefulness prior to the hearing, Sirr's lawyers had proposed that the court sentence him to probation, community service and restitution. They had also acknowledged that a prison sentence of 30 to 60 days would not "be greater than necessary to promote the goals of sentencing in this case."

CCTV footage of the Jan. 6 riot shows Bernard Sirr (circled) as he entered the tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol from its Lower West Terrace at 3:08 p.m.
CCTV footage of the Jan. 6 riot shows Bernard Sirr (circled) as he entered the tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol from its Lower West Terrace at 3:08 p.m.

Federal prosecutors had accused Sirr of participating in the riot as a member of the Proud Boys extremist group and had asked McFadden to send Sirr to prison for 10 months.

New England-based FBI agents investigated the case with help from from Washington D.C.-based agents and police officers, the Rhode Island State Police, and North Kingstown police.

Sirr was arrested in June 2022. More than 320 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement on Jan. 6, according to prosecutors.

Sirr had worked for the Rhode Island Atomic Energy Commission at its nuclear reactor, which is on the campus of the University of Rhode Island in Narragansett.

He lost that job after his arrest.

"I can tell you that I have already felt punishment for my actions," he told McFadden, "and Iknow that it was my conduct that brought me here."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bernard Sirr, Jan. 6 rioter, gets two months in prison