A Marion County man who pled guilty in late November last year to a charge stemming from his participation in a violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021 was sentenced on Wednesday to 30 days in jail and three years probation. He was also fined $500 and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $500.The government had recommended the sentence for 40-year-old Jon Thomas Mott include 309 days in jail, followed by three-years-probation.
In a sentencing memorandum filed April 18 by Mott’s lawyer — Joseph Allen of Branson — the attorney contended a “short period of probation” was a more appropriate punishment considering the actions Mott took on January 6.
He wrote his client “is genuinely remorseful for his conduct.” Jail time for Mott would be “unreasonable and excessive,” his lawyer wrote.
Mott’s sentencing hearing was held in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and presided over by Federal District Judge Royce Lamberth.
The court allowed the hearing to be conducted using a teleconference hookup instead of having the parties travel to Washington.
Mott pled guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. As part of his plea agreement, the government dismissed the other charges that were filed against him.
On the remaining charge, Mott faced the potential of being sentenced to six month of imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
He had already agreed to pay $500 in restitution to help cover the almost $3 million in damages to the historic Capitol building and grounds, as well as certain costs incurred by the United States Capitol Police.
The rioters were in Washington as part of a failed attempt to halt certification of the vote in the 2020 presidential election – in which Donald Trump was defeated by Joe Biden.
In addition to overrunning the Capitol, death threats were voiced against several government officials – including then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Mike Pence.
The occupation of the Capitol brought a temporary halt in the process of certifying the vote in the 2020 presidential contest and Pence and members of the House and Senate were evacuated to safer quarters.
According to police sources, it took about four hours to subdue the pro-Trump crowd.
In the sentencing memorandum filed with the court by government lawyers, it was argued the recommended sentence for Mott, including the 30-days of jail time, is appropriate for several reasons including:
–Mott “argued aggressively” with police officers while he was in the Capitol. In one video clip he is seen pushing against a law officer’s baton.
–He maintains a fund-raising account in which he claims the rioters were “mistreated” by law enforcement officials.
–Has failed to express any genuine remorse for his criminal conduct during the riot.
Mott, who owns a small business in Flippin, is alleged to have had several confrontations with police officers attempting to quell the riot. In one instance, Mott is heard to yell at an officer, “if you don’t touch me, I won’t touch you.”
At one point as officers advanced on the rioters to push them out of the Capitol Rotunda, “Mott moved into the immediate path of the officers, apparently attempting to impede their forward movement,” according to the government’s sentencing report.
One of Mott’s claims was based on the disproven notion “bad people like Antifa” were in the crowd and were the ones who breached the Capitol and he and other “good people” entered the building because it was open.
Some rioters have claimed they were in the Capitol to protect the police from the “bad people.”
In an interview with agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mott is alleged to have characterized January 6 as a “big day,” a “big day in history.” He was reported as saying he “ain’t going to apologize to nobody because it was my right.”
In the government’s sentencing memorandum, the January 6 riot was characterized as a “grave danger to our democracy.” The government also points out Mott had no right to join a violent mob, verbally and physically attack policemen and illegally remain in the Capitol building.
The attack on the Capitol was an attacked on the rule of law, government attorneys wrote.
In Mott’s sentencing memorandum, his attorney described his client as a “man who has accepted responsibility for his actions.”
Attached to the sentencing memorandum for Mott are letters of support from several Marion County residents, including the mayor of Flippin, the Marion County sheriff and the superintendent of the Flippin School District.
In May 2021, Mott was arrested by FBI agents. The agents had conducted “pre-arrest physical surveillance” of Mott on two occasions prior to him being picked up.
The January 6 riot has been called the “most documented crime in U.S. history.” At one point, government lawyers said printed evidence in the case exceeded 3.3 million files. If a person set out to watch all the video obtained during the investigation, it would take 100 24-hour days to review it all.
The rioters not only damaged the Capitol building, but sprayed the contents of fire extinguishers and threw yellow die on historic paintings and statuary.
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