Army Veteran’s Capitol Riot related sentence reduced

Thomas Robertson was sentenced to seven years in prison for his actions at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Robertson was seen with a large wooden stick, was photographed near a statue of John Stark while making obscene gestures, and he also generated Facebook posts that didn’t help his case. Robertson became the first rioter to have his sentence reduced in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding obstruction.

From Military Times:

Robertson, who declined to address the court at his first sentencing hearing, told the judge Wednesday that he looks forward to returning home and rebuilding his life after prison, AP reported.

“I realize the positions that I was taking on that day were wrong,” he said of Jan. 6. “I’m standing before you very sorry for what occurred on that day.”

Robertson served four years in the U.S. Army from 1991 to 1994, and then joined the Army Reserve in 2001, his attorneys wrote in court documents. He deployed to Iraq in 2008 and was injured by gunshot and mortar shrapnel in Afghanistan in 2011, the documents state. He underwent 10 surgeries for his injuries.

After recuperating, Robertson joined the police department in Rocky Mount, Virginia, and became a sergeant. He was off duty but still working for the police department when he joined the Capitol riot. The town fired him after his arrest.

In a Facebook post on Nov. 7, 2020, Robertson said, “I’ve spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. (I’m) about to become part of one, and a very effective one.”

Additional Reading:

Wentling, N. (2024, September 4). Judge reduces prison sentence for Army vet convicted in Capitol riot. Military Times. Link.

Category: 2020 Election, Crime, Veterans in the news