WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� A far-right internet personality who streamed live video while he was sentenced on Tuesday to two months of imprisonment for joining the mob's attack on the building.
Anthime Gionet, known as 鈥淏aked Alaska鈥� to his social media followers, declined to address the court before U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden sentenced him to 60 days behind bars followed by two years of probation. Gionet had faced a maximum of six months of imprisonment.
Gionet incriminated himself and other rioters with the video that he streamed to a live audience of roughly 16,000 followers. The 27-minute video showed him encouraging other rioters to stay in the Capitol.
鈥淵ou did everything you could to publicize your misconduct,鈥� the judge told Gionet. 鈥淵ou were there encouraging and participating fully in what was going on.鈥�
The judge allowed Gionet to remain free until he must report to prison. After his sentencing, Gionet told reporters that he views his sentence as a 鈥渨in" and said he plans to write a book while in jail.
Despite his guilty plea, Gionet said he didn't think he was breaking the law on Jan. 6 and doesn't regret being there.
鈥淚 have grown immense amounts,鈥� he said outside the courthouse. 鈥淏ut I still hold firm that I was there because I believe the election was fraudulent, and I believe people should have a right to speak freely as long as they are being peaceful.鈥�
Inside an office for Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, Gionet filmed himself picking up a telephone and pretending to report 鈥渁 fraudulent election,鈥� parroting former President Donald Trump's baseless claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
鈥淲e need to get our boy, Donald J. Trump, into office,鈥� Gionet added.
Gionet joined others in chanting, 鈥淧atriots are in control!鈥� and 鈥淲hose house? Our house!鈥� Before leaving, he profanely called a Capitol police officer an 鈥渙athbreaker."
Gionet, 35, to a misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building.
Prosecutors , three years鈥� probation and 60 hours of community service.
Gionet worked at BuzzFeed before he used social media videos to become an influential figure in far-right political circles. He was scheduled to speak at the in 2017 before it erupted in violence on the streets of Charlottesville, Virginia.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan originally was scheduled to sentence Gionet. Sullivan recently withdrew from Gionet's case and several others for reasons that aren't specified in court filings, although he took "senior status" and retired from full-time duty nearly two years ago.
Gionet celebrated online when his case was reassigned to McFadden, a Trump nominee. On a live stream, Gionet praised McFadden as 鈥渁 very awesome judge who is a pro-Trump judge and one of the judges that let one of the guys off innocent in his trial.鈥�
McFadden acquitted a New Mexico man, , of riot-related charges in April 2022 after hearing trial testimony without a jury. Martin is the only Jan. 6 defendant who has been acquitted of all charges after a trial.
Nearly 500 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses, and over 350 of them have been sentenced.
Federal authorities have used Gionet鈥檚 video to prosecute other rioters, including three men from New York City. Antonio Ferrigno, Francis Connor and Anton Lunyk pleaded guilty last year and were sentenced to home confinement. Gionet鈥檚 livestream showed them in Merkley鈥檚 office.
Defense attorney Zachary Thornley that Gionet 鈥渘ever crossed the line from being a protestor to a rioter.鈥� Thornley described his client as 鈥渟ort of a guerrilla journalist.鈥�
鈥淗e was there to document. That's what he does,鈥� the lawyer told the judge.
Mainstream internet platforms, including Twitter, suspended Gionet鈥檚 accounts before Jan. 6. At the Capitol, he was livestreaming video using a fringe service called DLive. He told authorities that viewers paid him $2,000 for his livestreams on Jan.5 and Jan. 6.
, Twitter has reinstated accounts belonging to Gionet and other far-right figures.
Gionet, who grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, was arrested in Houston less than two weeks after the riot and jailed for five days. He moved from Arizona to Florida after his release.
McFadden also ordered Gionet to pay a $2,000 fine and $500 in restitution. The judge said the Jan. 6 riot was the 鈥渃ulmination of a petty crime spree鈥� by Gionet.
Gionet was sentenced to 30 days in jail for misdemeanor convictions stemming from a December 2020 encounter in which authorities say Gionet also was convicted of a criminal damage charge and fined $300 for damaging a Hanukkah display in December 2020 outside the Arizona Capitol.
McFadden noted that Gionet recorded his crimes to drum up social media followers and money.
鈥淭hat is a very disturbing vocation, sir,鈥� the judge told him.
鈥淲ithout him going to prison, he won鈥檛 stop what he鈥檚 going,鈥� Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Franks said.
Gionet to the Jan. 6 charge during an earlier hearing. Sullivan refused to accept a guilty plea by Gionet in May after he professed his innocence at the start of what was scheduled to be a plea agreement hearing.
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Associated Press video journalist Nathan Ellgren contributed to this report.
Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press
