A Jan. 6 rioter praised Vivek Ramaswamy at his sentencing for suggesting riot was an ‘inside job’

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former California police chief convicted of a conspiracy cost within the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Thursday to greater than 11 years in jail after giving a speech that praised Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy‘s suggestion the Jan. 6, 2021, attack might have been an “inside job.”

Alan Hostetter, who prosecutors say carried a hatchet in his backpack on Jan. 6, spun conspiracy theories as he spoke to a choose at his sentencing listening to, falsely claiming the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump and referring to the riot as a “false flag” operation.

Solely eight different Jan. 6 defendants have obtained a long run up to now. His is the third-longest Jan. 6 sentence amongst those that weren’t charged with seditious conspiracy.

Ramaswamy, a biotech entrepreneur working his first political campaign, has drawn consideration within the GOP discipline along with his rapid-fire, wide-ranging speeches during which he usually discusses issues he says are “truths.”

In suggesting that federal brokers had been behind Jan. 6 during a GOP debate Wednesday, Ramaswamy promoted a conspiracy idea embraced by many on the far proper who’ve argued Trump supporters had been framed. There isn’t any proof to again up these claims, and FBI Director Christopher Wray has stated the “notion that someway the violence on the Capitol on January 6 was a part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and brokers is ludicrous.”

Ramaswamy’s marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to a message in search of remark.

Hostetter, who defended himself at his bench trial with assist from a standby legal professional, stated Ramaswamy’s point out exhibits concepts like his are “now not fringe theories.”

U.S. District Choose Royce Lamberth stated Hostetter’s conviction wasn’t about his beliefs, however somewhat for crossing police traces being a part of the riot that interrupted Congress as they licensed the 2020 election. He handed down a 135-month sentence, near the greater than 12-year sentence prosecutors had requested.

Prosecutor Anthony Mariano pointed to posts Hostetter had made earlier than Jan. 6, together with one about placing “the worry of God into members of Congress.”

“This isn’t a case that’s nearly phrases … this man took actions based mostly on these phrases,” he stated, detailing knives and different gear Hostetter additionally delivered to Washington.

A protection legal professional advising him, Karren Kenney, argued that Hostetter didn’t push in opposition to police traces or enter the Capitol constructing. Hostetter additionally maintained that he didn’t deliver his hatchet to the Capitol.

Hostetter was convicted in July of 4 counts, together with conspiracy to impede an official continuing and getting into a restricted space with a lethal or harmful weapon.

Hostetter had beforehand served as police chief in La Habra, California, close to Los Angeles, however had moved on to instructing yoga when he based a nonprofit referred to as the American Phoenix Challenge within the spring of 2020. He used the tax-exempt group to oppose COVID-19 restrictions and to advocate for violence in opposition to political opponents after the 2020 presidential election.

Hostetter was arrested in June 2021 together with 5 different males. Their indictment linked 4 of Hostetter’s co-defendants to the Three Percenters wing of the militia motion. Their title refers back to the fantasy that solely 3% of People fought in opposition to the British within the Revolutionary Battle.

Hostetter stated he doesn’t have any connection to the Three Percenters motion and accused prosecutors of falsely portraying him as “a caricature of some radical terrorist.”

Roughly 1,200 individuals have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Roughly 900 of them have pleaded responsible or been convicted by a choose or jury after trials. Over 700 of them have been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds receiving jail sentences starting from three days to 22 years.