Nazi sympathizer and Army reservist who stormed the Capitol sentenced to 4 years in Jan. 6 case
Jan. 6 rioter Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, who has dressed up as Adolf Hitler, was sentenced to four years in federal prison during a hearing on Thursday.
WASHINGTON — A Jan. 6 rioter who has dressed up as Adolf Hitler and held a security clearance was sentenced to four years in federal prison Thursday.
Timothy Hale-Cusanelli, 32, of New Jersey, who was an Army reservist when he stormed the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, was convicted in May after he failed to convince jurors that he didn’t know that Congress met at the Capitol, a claim he made on the stand to avoid a conviction for obstruction of Congress.
“I know this sounds idiotic, but I’m from New Jersey,” Hale-Cusanelli told jurors when he said he didn't know Congress met at the Capitol. “I feel like an idiot, it sounds idiotic, and it is.”
Trump rally highlights Jan. 6 case of alleged Neo-NaziSept. 7, 202205:24U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump-appointed judge who oversaw Hale-Cusanelli’s trial, had said his testimony was "highly dubious" and indicated that he was open to a sentencing enhancement. McFadden said Thursday that the claim that Hale-Cusanelli didn't know Congress met at the Capitol was a "risible lie" and an "obvious attempt" to avoid accountability.
McFadden said Hale-Cusanelli "absolutely knew" that Congress met at the Capitol, noting that he had even told his roommate that he was outside the House of Representatives on Jan. 6. McFadden also said he was "appalled" by the language Hale-Cusanelli used to a female officer on Jan. 6, in which he called her an unprintable word.
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