Trump State Department appointee sentenced to nearly 6 years for role in Jan. 6 attack
A former Trump administration State Department appointee was sentenced Friday to nearly six years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Frederico "Freddie" Klein was convicted of eight felonies including six assaults, civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. Prosecutors said he "waged a relentless siege on police officers" as he attempted to enter the Capitol with a large mob of rioters.
"Your actions on Jan. 6 were shocking and egregious," Judge Trevor McFadden told the Trump administration appointee before handing down his sentence of five years and 10 months behind bars.
Dressed in a dark suit and red-patterned tie, Klein waived his right to address the court himself.
His defense attorney, Stanley Woodward, said a significantly lower sentence was warranted.
"No one person caused the events of Jan. 6," Woodward said, while acknowledging the infamy of the day.
Woodward argued that prosecutors were going after his client too aggressively because of his status as a former political appointee. Judge McFadden's sentence was ultimately well below the 10 years the government sought.
Klein was accused of using a stolen police riot shield to jam open an entryway to the Capitol building and push back officers.
Former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell was one of the several officers who said they were assaulted by Klein and the mob of rioters.
"I went from protecting the Capitol building to fighting for my survival," Gonell told the court.
Gonell said he still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of Jan. 6, and that Klein's actions contributed to the end of his law enforcement career.
Klein will serve two years of supervised release following his prison term.
