A Washington State man, Taylor James Johnatakis, has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Prosecutors stated that Johnatakis used a megaphone to urge other rioters to barge through a police line during the violent insurrection.
Johnatakis, 40, of Kingston, Wash., was convicted of three felony charges and four misdemeanor charges related to the attack. Prior to Jan. 6, he posted messages on social media expressing his desire to interfere with the election certification process at the Capitol.
Wearing a red MAGA hat and carrying a megaphone, Johnatakis led a group of people up to a police line on the Capitol’s Southwest stairs, urging rioters to push through. Officer body camera footage showed him lifting a metal barricade and pushing it into officers as he led a countdown over his megaphone.
During the trial, Officer Marc D’Avignon testified that the confrontation on the Southwest stairs was “frightening” and he feared for his life and the lives of his colleagues. Prosecutors argued for a nine-year prison sentence, stating that Johnatakis played a significant role in the assault on officers at the Capitol.
Despite receiving letters from friends and family attesting to his good character, Johnatakis represented himself at trial and showed a different tone in speeches and interviews from jail. His wife, Marie Johnatakis, described the court case as a challenging experience for their family.
Johnatakis is one of over 1,350 individuals charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack, which aimed to halt the certification of the 2020 election results. The ongoing criminal investigation into the events of that day has been described as the largest in the history of the Justice Department. Former President Donald J. Trump, who was indicted last August on charges related to the election, has appealed his case to the Supreme Court.
