First Jan. 6 Protester to Enter US Capitol Is Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in Prison

A Kentucky man who was the first known person to breach the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.
Michael Sparks, 47, was convicted in March by a federal jury in the District of Columbia on all six charges that he faced, including two felony offenses of obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder.
On Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Sparks to 53 months in prison and fined him $2,000.
Before hearing his sentencing, Sparks maintained that the 2020 presidential election was rigged against then-President Donald Trump and “completely taken from the American public.”
“I am an American citizen who believes to this day that we are in tyranny,” Sparks told the court.
“I am remorseful that what transpired that day didn’t help anybody. I am remorseful that our country is in the state it’s in.”
However, for the remaining convictions, Sparks received a harsher sentence than the guidelines recommended. The judge said that Sparks did not fully understand the effects of his actions.
“I don’t really think you appreciate the full gravity of what happened that day and, quite frankly, the full seriousness of what you did,” Kelly said.
Once inside the Capitol, Sparks followed a group of demonstrators in confronting Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman, who warned them that he would shoot if they didn’t move back and then retreated upstairs to seek backup. The crowd pursued the officer up the stairs near the Senate chamber, where several other officers ordered them to leave.
Goodman testified that the demonstrators continued to accost him, demanding to know where the electoral votes were being counted. A video shows Sparks walking to the front of the group and yelling at Goodman, “We’re standing here for you as well!” and “This is our America! This is our America!”
Sparks spent a total of 20 minutes inside the Capitol. His attorney argued that his brief stay and lack of aggressive actions made him one of the “less culpable offenders in the Capitol breach.”
“He made his voice heard to Officer Goodman for a mere eight minutes and then peacefully and voluntarily left the building to passively watch from outside.”
The attorney had asked in the brief that his client be given 12 months of home detention followed by a three-year supervised release.