Taylor James Johnatakis: January 6 rioter who led crowd to attack police sentenced to more than 7 years in prison

A Washington state man who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 was sentenced Wednesday to seven years and three months in prison.

Taylor James Johnatakis was found guilty in November on seven charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting police officers.

Johnatakis led rioters who attacked the police line outside the Capitol, according to federal prosecutors.

“Specifically, using his megaphone, Johnatakis ordered the rioters toward the police line and yelled at them to ‘pack up! Pack up!'” a news release states. “Johnatakis then indicated to the crowd through the megaphone that they were going to push the bike racks ‘one foot’ at a time and counted, ‘one, two, three, GO!!'”

At least one officer was injured in the melee, prosecutors said.

During his trial, Johnatakis represented himself, frustrating Judge Royce Lamberth with his erratic behavior. He argued his case by claiming to be a “sovereign citizen,” The Associated Press reported, which the judge called “gibberish.”

Johnatakis also asked the judge questions during his sentencing, including “Does the record reflect that I repent of my sins?” — to which Lamberth responded that she would not take questions, AP reported.

He responded to the idea that Johnatakis was simply exercising his free speech, saying his actions were “neither activity protected by the First Amendment nor civil disobedience.”

“A society in which everyone does what is right according to their own criteria, where compliance with the law is optional, would be a society of vigilantism, anarchy and anarchy,” he wrote.

Lamberth said Johnatakis’ comments throughout the trial made it clear that he “does not accept responsibility for his actions and shows no true remorse.”