Donald Trump supporter and self-described Nazi sympathizer Timothy Hale-Cusanelli was sentenced on Thursday to four years in prison for his part in storming the Capitol on January 6, 2021, according to court documents.
Hale-Cusanelli, who served in the U.S. Army reserves and held security clearance, worked as a security guard at a New Jersey naval station and had “access to a variety of munitions,” NBC News reports.
The MAGA fanatic was arrested less than two weeks after the insurrection. He was found guilty of five criminal charges at his May trial, including a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, court records show.
During his trial, he tried to convince a jury that he’d had no idea that Congress met at the Capitol.
“I know this sounds idiotic, but I’m from New Jersey,” Hale-Cusanelli said, according to the report. “I feel like an idiot, it sounds idiotic, and it is.”
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden called this a “risible lie” and an “obvious attempt” to duck responsibility. He then dropped the hammer on Hale-Cusanelli and sent him to prison.
