Powell man who spread misinformation even after Jan. 6 conviction is sentenced to prison
A Powell man who was convicted for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol — and who continued to spread misinformation about that day and the 2020 election to his more than 67,000 Twitter followers — is now facing federal prison.
Alexander Sheppard, 23, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Washington to seven months in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for 15 months.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates also ordered Sheppard to pay $500 in restitution. Bates moved forward with the sentencing despite Sheppard’s request on Wednesday to postpone sentencing while he files a request for a new trial.
In January, a federal jury convicted Sheppard of five criminal counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building. The jury found Sheppard not guilty of remaining on the floor of Congress.
Bates called the events on Jan. 6 an extremely disturbing assault on the country's democratic values and the peaceful transition of power.
On Jan. 6, 2021 a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters overran security at the U.S. Capitol, injured law enforcement officers, caused more than $2.5 million in damages, and disrupted Congress’ certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
While Sheppard was only in the Capitol building for about 10 minutes and there is no evidence he engaged in violence, he helped rile up the crowd by leading chants and shouting encouragements to others to "keep fighting," according to federal prosecutors.
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During the sentencing, Bates said Sheppard continues to show no remorse and lied while testifying at trial.
Sheppard continued to spread misinformation about the 2020 election online even after his conviction.
In March, according to court documents, Sheppard tweeted “[w]e proved with audits across the Country that the 2020 Presidential Election was STOLEN, and instead of being rewarded with the rightful reinstatement of the victor, we were kicked off social media by Federal Law Enforcement. People have now lost ALL trust in the FBI and DOJ!”
Lawsuits and claims of widespread election fraud have been debunked; President Joe Biden won the election by more than 7 million votes.
Sheppard has also done multiple recorded interviews posted online since the violent insurrection at the Capitol, including one posted in March, in which he downplayed what happened that day.
Federal prosecutors also said Sheppard has not always complied with pretrial services, and he was arrested in December in Franklin County for driving under the influence and didn’t tell the federal court as required.
At his sentencing hearing Thursday, Sheppard said only this:
"Your honor, I just want you to know I fully accept responsibility for my actions."
In court documents requesting a lenient sentence, federal public defenders said Sheppard did not commit or witness violence on Jan. 6, 2021 and pointed out Sheppard was only 21 at the time.
"Mr. Sheppard was extremely impressionable to influences around him and was reiterating the same propaganda," said Assistant Federal Public Defender Maria N. Jacob.
More for subscribers: Some Ohioans sentenced for Jan. 6 insurrection blame actions on extremist media
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Powell man convicted in Jan. 6 insurrection gets 7-month sentence
