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Michael Sparks | |
|---|---|
| Known for | January 6 United States Capitol attack |
Michael Sparks is an American convicted criminal, who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, being the first rioter to enter the Capitol.
He was sentenced to 53 months in prison plus 36 months of supervised release, and a fine of $2,000 on August 27, 2024.
Career
[edit]Sparks worked at an electronics and components plant.[1]
As votes were gathered during the 2020 United States presidential election, Sparks incorrectly predicted that "Trump will win by a landslide. It won’t even be close".[2]
Sparks wrote the words, "Drag these clowns out of office" in late December 2020, and on December 24 he posted pictures of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, with the caption, "How about we the people drag you out by your face".[2]
January 6 United States Capitol attack
[edit]Preparations
[edit]Prior to the attack, Sparks stated that he wanted "civil war", and that he would be willing to die for Donald Trump.[2]
Capitol attack
[edit]Sparks was the first rioter to enter the Capitol; he climbed through the window broken by Dominic Pezzola. He chased Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman upstairs.[3]
Arrest and trial
[edit]Sparks reached out to law enforcement following the attack after he saw that he was wanted for questioning.[1]
On January 9, 2022, he wrote that "They are trying to hide everything but there are a ton of court cases going on," and that he “truly believe[d] they [were] going to expose the fraudulent election.”[2]
He was charged with six charges in February 2024, which included felony obstruction of an official proceeding and obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder. He pleaded not guilty, though his defense did not dispute that he was extensively photographed in the capitol.[1]
In June 2024, Sparks' case was affected by a Supreme Court decision which affected the charge of obstructing an official proceeding, leading prosecutors to drop this charge against him.[2]
At his sentencing, Sparks said that he was "an American citizen who believes to this day that we are in tyranny," and that he still believed the 2020 election was "taken from the American people".[2] He was sentenced to 53 months plus 36 months of supervised release, and fined $2,000 on August 27, 2024[3] by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly, who said he had the right to believe in conspiracy theories but did not have the right to storm the Capitol, and that there wasn't "any obvious explanation" for Sparks' actions.[2]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Reilly, Ryan J. (February 28, 2024). "First Jan. 6 rioter to breach the Capitol spent months regurgitating Trump's election lies". NBC News. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Reilly, Ryan J. (August 27, 2024). "First Trump supporter to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6 sentenced to over 4 years in prison". NBC News. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
- ^ a b Rajkumar, Shruti (August 28, 2024). "Jan. 6 Rioter Who First Breached The Capitol Building Gets More Than 4 Years In Prison". HuffPost. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Convicted participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack]]
[[Category:People from La Habra, California]]
[[Category:Criminals from California]]
[[Category:American male criminals]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:American police chiefs]]
[[Category:American police officers convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:United States Army soldiers]]
[[Category:People associated with the January 6 United States Capitol attack]]
[[Category:People convicted of illegal possession of weapons]]