Prosecutors say Jan. 6 'ringleader' Doug Jensen should spend more than 5 years in prison

Prosecutors want the Des Moines man who acted as the "poster boy" of the U.S. Capitol riot to serve more than five years in federal prison.

Doug Jensen is one of the most prominent defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, which caused millions of dollars in damages and resulted in several deaths. He achieved instant notoriety after the attack because of videos and images that showed him chasing and confronting police inside the Capitol.

Jensen was charged with seven federal offenses, went to trial in September and was convicted on all counts. His sentencing is set for Dec. 16, and prosecutors say they will ask the court to impose a 64-month sentence.

The government's sentencing memo, filed Tuesday, includes new details about Jensen's conduct before and during the riot. According to the document, at one point, Jensen reportedly told a friend he planned to bring a gun to the Donald Trump rally that preceded the attack.

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

From JanuaryWho is Doug Jensen? Tracing a QAnon believer's path to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Jensen said he would be 'locked and loaded' before Capitol riot

Prosecutors describe Jensen's most famous actions during the riot — his pursuit of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase inside the building — in detail but also delve into his actions well before he arrived on Capitol Hill.

Long before Jan. 6, according to prosecutors, Jensen's text messages show he wanted to recruit friends to join him in traveling to the 'Stop the Steal' rally organized by Trump's supporters, and he knew the event might become violent.

In one exchange, Jensen told a friend he would be "locked and loaded" with pistols. He did not ultimately bring a firearm into the Capitol, although he did have a knife in his pocket throughout the attack.

Prosecutors also noted Jensen was aware that D.C. officials had requested National Guard support, and one of his friends advocated for bringing even heavier weaponry, such as assault rifles.

"None of this dissuaded Jensen from eagerly making plans to get to D.C.," prosecutors wrote.

After encountering a Capitol officer, Jensen reportedly said to other rioters, 'he's one person, we're thousands'

Shortly before the riot began, prosecutors say, a friend texted to tell Jensen that the joint session of Congress, with Vice President Mike Pence presiding, had certified all votes to declare Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 election.

Jensen replied, "That's all about to change," adding a winking emoji.

From SeptemberWhat we know about Doug Jensen, the Des Moines man convicted for taking part in the Capitol riot

Prosecutors described Jensen's progress through the Capitol grounds, which included climbing a retaining wall and cheering on the crowd from atop the balustrade, and into the Capitol itself, where he was the tenth rioter to enter the building, climbing through a broken window.

When he encountered Goodman, the officer later testified, Jensen ignored warnings and orders to stay back, telling Goodman to "do what you got to do" when the officer threatened to shoot him. As Goodman retreated, Jensen shouted to "keep running," and "he's one person, we're thousands."

Upstairs, Jensen encouraged other rioters to push through a police line. One senior officer described Jensen as "pretty arrogant and cocky" because "he knew he had a lot more muscle behind him than I did."

Jensen eventually was escorted out of the building, only to return through another entrance. As an officer tried to escort him again out of the Capitol Rotunda, video footage shows him shoving and scuffling with officers, shouting at one point “He doesn’t have the right to touch me. You can’t push people. You can’t do that. The Constitution! … You guys aren’t doing your jobs properly!”

Recommended 64 months in middle of sentencing guideline range

According to prosecutors' calculations under federal sentencing guidelines, the advisory sentencing range for Jensen is between 57 and 71 months. The government's 64-month recommendation falls in the middle of that range.

In making that recommendation, prosecutors emphasized that Jensen's goal was nothing less than to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to a new presidential administration.

"Jensen’s intent in leading a mob of armed rioters in a menacing pursuit of Officer Goodman was to arrest the vice president — the individual who, by law, must preside over the certification — and thereby obstruct the administration of justice," they wrote.

Furthermore, prosecutors said Jensen had ample opportunity to see and turn away from the violence playing out at the Capitol and did not.

"To the contrary, he celebrated this violence. … His reaction to this violence was not to stop or turn around; it was to shout encouragement to the crowd," prosecutors wrote.

And they argued that Jensen has not shown remorse for his actions. In the days after the riot, Jensen reportedly described himself as a "hero" to the military and Capitol police. After his arrest, when he was granted pretrial release in 2021 on the condition that he not use the internet, he was caught less than a month later watching election conspiracy theories on a contraband cell phone.

From AprilRead the transcript of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot suspect Doug Jensen's FBI interview

Jensen will be able to make his own recommendation for sentencing before his Dec. 16 hearing.

He is one of eight Iowans to face charges and will be the fifth to be sentenced. If the court does impose the government's suggested 64 months, it would be the second-longest to date among the Iowa defendants, behind the 86 months imposed on Kyle Young of Redfield.

Read prosecutors' recommendations for Doug Jensen's sentence

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: For Jan. 6 crimes, prosecutors recommend Doug Jensen serve 5 years