Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

A Florida man supported Obama and didn't vote for Trump. Then he stormed the Capitol, pepper-sprayed cops, broke a $2,900 window, and got 4.5 years in prison.

A Florida man supported Obama and didn't vote for Trump. Then he stormed the Capitol, pepper-sprayed cops, broke a $2,900 window, and got 4.5 years in prison.

Mitchell Todd Gardner "slowly started to believe" that the election had been stolen from Trump, his attorneys said.
A federal judge sentenced a Florida man who voted for Obama twice and did not vote for Trump in 2016 to 4.5 years in prison for his participation in the January 6 insurrection.

Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Mitchell Todd Gardner II, 34, of Seffner, Florida, to 55 months in federal prison on Friday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Mehta also ordered Gardner to pay $3,500 in restitution and to stay under supervised release for 36 months after he leaves prison.

Prosecutors charged Gardner with obstructing an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon, according to a criminal complaint.

Attorneys for Gardner argued in a sentencing memorandum filed on March 3 that he grew up in a red state, which explains the "huge discrepancy between his life and nonviolent choices otherwise, and his behavior the day of January 6." Gardner's attorneys said he voted for Obama "both times" and "did not vote for Donald Trump when he ran for office."

It's unclear if Gardner voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Farheena Siddiqui, Gardner's attorney, did not immediately return Insider's request for comment on Sunday.

"He believed President Trump's candidacy to be a joke, a publicity event for a celebrity," the sentencing memorandum states.

After President Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Trump's misinformation caused Gardner to believe "that the election had been stolen and the way of life in America was about to change," the document says.

Gardner had never been politically active before 2020, but during Trump's presidency he "flourished financially," which led him to believe the misinformation that Trump was spreading, his attorneys said.

According to the DOJ, Gardner sprayed Capitol Police officers with a Metropolitan Police Department pepper spray canister in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

"The contents hit one officer directly in the face shield and splattered onto at least two additional officers," the DOJ said in the release. "This caused the officers to cough for an extended period and also burned their eyes."

Gardner also used the pepper spray canister to smash a window into the Senate Terrace Room which cost $2,900 to replace, according to the DOJ. After entering the window, Gardner handed another rioter a wooden table leg that they used to attack police, the release says.

On Saturday, Trump called on his supporter to "protest" and "take our nation back" in a post on Truth Social after he predicted his own potential indictment before a New York grand jury. The language was reminiscent of his December 2020 tweet that asked his followers to converge on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

So far, police have charged at least 1,003 people with crimes in connection to the Capitol insurrection. At least 476 Capitol rioters have so far pleaded guilty for their roles.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×