Jan. 6

Calling Capitol riot defendant Doug Jensen a leader of the riot, D.C. federal Judge Tim Kelly sentenced Jensen to five years in prison. 

Kelly slammed Jensen for his lack of remorse and for goading rioters to attack Officer Eugene Goodman and the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The judge said Goodman had prevented bloodshed by “miraculously” luring Jensen and the mob away from the Senate. Prosecutors called Jensen the “poster boy of the Insurrection” and an emboldener of the attack, as one of the first 10 rioters who breached the Capitol.  

Jensen appeared to squander an opportunity for some degree leniency by giving a tepid statement at the hearing. He expressed no remorse for the crime and said little more than “I want to go back to being a family man and to a normal life before becoming involved in politics.” Judge Kelly criticized the statement, noting his lack of remorse or acknowledgement of any responsibility.   

Prosecutors emphasized the unique role played by Jensen during the attack. One assistant U.S. attorney argued that Jensen “was trying to fire up a revolution.”  

“He forced Officer Goodman to retreat,” she said, adding that Jensen had “gambled on the fact Officer Goodman wouldn’t pull the trigger” of his firearm because of the size of the mob. “Officer Goodman was heroic,” she said.

Capitol Police Inspector Tom Loyd testified at sentencing about the horrors and injuries that resulted from Jensen’s actions that day. “The mob attacked us,” Loyd said, adding that nonetheless, “the defendant was able to walk out of the Capitol. He can thank Officer Goodman.” Loyd said if Goodman hadn’t lured the mob away from the senators, who were evacuating, “there would’ve been bloodshed.”

Here’s the letter Loyd submitted to the court: 

Jensen, 43, of Des Moines, Iowa, was found guilty by a jury of five felony offenses, including assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer and obstruction of an official proceeding. He also was found guilty of two misdemeanor offenses in September.

He was being held in the Alexandria, Va., jail prior to sentencing and will be transferred to custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.