Iraq war veteran Mark Leffingwell was sentenced this week to six months in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol during the certification of the 2020 Presidential election.
Leffingwell, 52, pleaded guilty in October to punching Capitol Police officers Daniel Amendola and Wyatt Hart as they took him into custody. When weighing in during the sentencing, Judge Amy Jackson stated that a decorated war veteran like Leffingwell knew better than to join a riot of Donald Trump supporters are they attempted to subvert the election.
During the attack on the Capitol, Leffingwell entered the building and encouraged other rioters to help him push through the police who were attempting to keep them out. "You chose this battle and you patted yourself on the back for your bravery," Jackson told him at sentencing.
“It needs to be crystal clear that it is not patriotism, it is not standing up for America, it is not legitimate political discourse and it is not justified to descend on the nation’s capital at the direction of a disappointed candidate and disrupt the electoral process," Jackson said.
In addition to six months in federal prison, Leffingwell will have two years of supervised release and 200 hours of community service.
Of the 700 people charged in relation to the Capitol riot, approximately one out of every five of them was a U.S. military veteran.
Leffingwell served in the U.S. Marine Corps before he later joined the Army National Guard. He was wounded on duty in Iraq in 2008.
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Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
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