Man who chugged bottle of wine at Capitol riot gets jail

rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6
Photo credit Getty Images

A Navy veteran who bragged about chugging from a bottle of wine he found in a Senate office during the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol has been sentenced to jail.

Jason Riddle, of New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of theft of government property and illegally protesting inside the Capitol.

He was accused of drinking a bottle of wine and stealing a book on Senate procedure during the riot.

In an interview just days after the insurrection, Riddle told NBC10 Boston that he followed the mob inside the Capitol because he "had to see" what was going on. He said he found a liquor cabinet inside a lawmaker's office, grabbed a bottle of wine and watched the mayhem unfold.

"I chugged it and got out of there," Riddle told the outlet, adding that he had no regrets.

Riddle on Monday was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation, including 60 hours of community service.

He also must pay $754 restitution for stealing the book, which he later sold on eBay for $40.

In handing down the sentence, the judge was in disbelief of Riddle's actions given his past as a U.S. servicemember.

"He was witnessing violence in front of him while he was chugging wine and celebrating," Judge Dabney Friedrich said, according to CNN. "It is hard to fathom, given Mr. Riddle's foreign military service and time in the Navy reserves" that he would "celebrate this attack."

Riddle told the court that he has signed up to make a run for Congress, CNN reported. It's not clear if his jail sentence will affect his campaign.

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