Richard “Bigo” Barnett, a retired firefighter from Arkansas, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison in May 2023 for sitting in a chair and having his feet on a desk while smiling broadly for a camera.
Unfortunately for Barnett, the desk belonged to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The photo of Barnett remains one of the more memorable – and certainly less violent – images of the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Judge Christopher Cooper sentenced Barnett after he was found guilty of eight charges including obstruction of an official proceeding and theft of government property.
Before leaving the Capitol grounds, Barnett, using a bullhorn, told the crowd, “We took back our house, and I took Nancy Pelosi’s office!” said.
Barnett told a New York Times reporter that he had left a note on Pelosi’s desk that said, “Nancy, Bigo was here, you b—-.”
Barnett said in court that he regretted calling Pelosi what he referred to as the “crass” name.