A former Air Force ranking official was sentenced to a two-year prison term by a federal judge Friday for taking part in the January 6 Capitol riot.
The retired Texas-born Air Force Officer, 55-year-old Larry Brock, was convicted by U.S. District Judge John Bates on all 6 counts prosecutors pursued in the veteran’s indictment, which consisted of a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding on top of 5 other misdemeanors, The Associated Press reported. Brock will serve a two year prison sentence and is required to perform 100 hours of community service once the time is served.
Two years prison for Larry Brock
On a busy day at courthouse, judge has issued the sentence for Brock, a retired Air Force Lt Col. https://t.co/ROEwRiteel
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) March 17, 2023
Brock reportedly sported military-style combat gear and openly wielded zip-tie-style handcuffs after making his way into the Senate chamber floor during the “Stop the Steal” demonstrations, moments after members of Congress and their senatorial staff evacuated the building. The former serviceman also shuffled through documents laid out on Senator’s desks.
While Brock did not engage in any violent behavior that day, prosecutors argued his actions were “disturbingly premeditated.”
🚨 SENTENCE: Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Brock ordered to serve 2 years in prison for obstructing the joint session of Congress on Jan. 6. Two years of supervised release to follow. pic.twitter.com/KtjfNknCRg
— Jordan Fischer (@JordanOnRecord) March 17, 2023
The ex-airman left behind a digital footprint in via Facebook reportedly characterizing his itinerary for that day.
In messages to another user, Brock laid out what he dubbed a “plan of action if Congress fails to act” sent on on Christmas Eve of 2020.
One course of action Brock laid out was to “seize all Democratic politicians and Biden key staff and select Republicans,” according to the outlet. Then, the Officer initially planned to employ interrogation methods akin to the ones the U.S. military used on al-Qaida.
Moreover, Brock’s outline sought to secure a “general pardon for all crimes up to and including murder of those restoring the Constitution and putting down the Democratic Insurrection.”
Lastly, the Christmas-Eve outline noted not to kill “LEO” (most likely law enforcement officers) “unless necessary.” (RELATED: Army Sergeant Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Fellow Soldier)
After the outcome of the 2020 Presidential election results were decided in November of 2020, in a separate post Brock wrote on Facebook that “we need to execute the traitors that are trying to steal the election…” Prosecutors argued that if Senators had not evacuated, Brock may have acted on his written plans.
Brock’s defense lawyer, Charles Burnham, stated that Brock’s sole motivation was a “genuine concern for democracy.”
A retired Air Force major general penned a letter to Judge Bates lauding Brock’s service, saying that the former officer “risked his life to protect U.S. forces from a Taliban attack, flying below mountain peaks into a valley ‘saturated with enemy forces.'” (RELATED: The Air Force Will Now Give THC-Positive Applicants A Second Chance To Combat Struggles With Recruitment)
“The result thwarted enemy advances on U.S. personnel, saved U.S. lives and defused an ever-escalating situation for the forces at that remote base in Afghanistan,” the major general conveyed.
At the time of the January 6 riot, Brock worked as a commercial airline pilot.
In any case, according to Brock’s attorney Burnham, the Federal Aviation Administration revoked the former officer’s licenses following his 2021 arrest.
Brock is an Air Force Academy alumni from the graduating class of 1989. He was on active duty from 1998-2014. (RELATED: Naval Academy Removes Confederate Name From Campus Building, Replaces It With Dem President)
Brock refused to speak in court before Judge Bates announced his sentenced. He is temporarily a free man until summoned to report to prison; the date is still to be determined.
The Associated Press noted in the report that out of the roughly 1,000 individuals that have faced charges for involvement in January 6 Capitol demonstrations, 70 of the 400 that have been sentenced are veterans.