The man who allegedly broke into House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6 is reportedly selling autographed photos in exchange for donations to his defense fund, The Washington Post reported.
Richard Barnett was arrested in January for allegedly breaking and entering onto the Capitol building’s property, carrying a stun gun and stealing mail, according to The Washington Post. The “Richard ‘Bigo’ Barnett’s Legal Defense Fund” announced it is selling autographed photographs of him at Pelosi’s desk for $100 and a $25 copy of his court filing that granted him a pretrial release from jail to go toward his legal fees.
“Richard believes that his actions were not criminal, certainly not warranting a 10-year sentence the government is seeking, but rather a constitutionally protected form of political protest,” the fundraiser said, according to the Post. (REPORT: Rioter Seen In Pelosi’s Office Faces 11 Years In Prison, Allegedly Carried Stun Gun During Capitol Attack)
Alleged Capitol rioter who posed in Pelosi’s office is selling signed photos for $100 to help pay legal fees
Richard Barnett will send “an autographed picture of him sitting in Pelosi’s office personally addressed to whomever you like,” a fundraiser says. https://t.co/RGwlHfGTCA
— Timothy Bella (@TimBella) June 2, 2021
He is currently facing charges of disorderly conduct at the Capitol, theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building with a deadly weapon.
His attorney, Joseph McBride, said the justice system should not fail the poor and working-class citizens and that he will do everything in his power to prevent the federal government from “bullying” Barnett.
“The Department of Justice’s prosecution of all persons accused of Jan. 6-related crimes has now become the biggest in its stories history. This, in turn, equivocates to an unlimited budget,” McBride said.
“No man or woman should fail in a court of law just because they are poor or come from the middle class. We will not let the federal government bully Richard Barnett or push him around simply because it’s the biggest kid in the schoolyard.”
A law professor told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that it is likely legal for Barnett to raise money since he has not currently been convicted of a crime.
“If being jackass were a crime, there would be a lot more people in jail,” he said. “There are some prohibitions in some jurisdictions on profiting from a crime during incarceration. Otherwise, it’s generally free enterprise. Remember, Barnett has not been convicted of a crime.”
Barnett has pleaded innocent to the charges brought against him, the Democrat-Gazette reported.
