A veteran comic actor pleaded guilty in connection with his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, NBC News reported.
Jay Johnston, who has appeared on TV shows including "Mr. Show," "Arrested Development," and "Bob's Burgers," pleaded guilty Monday to a felony offense of obstructing officers during a civil disorder, NBC News reported.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols set a sentencing hearing for Oct. 7.
Federal prosecutors have until Sept. 30 to turn in their sentencing memo. The defense has until Oct. 3 to turn in its memo.
A civil disorder charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, or a fine or both, The New York Times reported.
Authorities arrested Johnston, 55, in California last summer and charged him with four counts, including civil disorder and entering restricted grounds, the Times reported.
Johnston was indicted by a federal grand jury alongside four other Jan. 6 defendants, whom the government alleged took part in the battle at the lower west tunnel leading into the Capitol.
FBI officials alleged video footage showed Johnston "handing up a stolen U.S. Capitol police shield to other rioters" and that Johnston "participated with other rioters in a group assault" on the officers located at the tunnel.
"The news has presented it as an attack. It actually wasn't. Thought it kind of turned into that," Johnston wrote in a text message supplied to the FBI, NBC News reported. "It was a mess. Got maced and tear gassed and I found it quite untastic."
Johnston's movie credits include "Anchorman" and "Men in Black II."
The "Bob's Burgers" character Jimmy Pesto Sr., whom Johnston voiced, was written off the show because of the comedian's involvement at the Capitol, the Daily Beast reported in December 2021.
The FBI has made more than 1,400 arrests and secured more than 1,000 convictions since the attack at U.S. Capitol.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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