The Department of Justice (DOJ) is pursuing a nearly 16-year prison sentence for Patrick McCaughey III, a participant in the January 6 attack on the Capitol who pinned an officer in a door frame during the riot. The sentencing request comes after McCaughey was found guilty of seven felonies and two misdemeanors last September, including aiding or abetting or assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers with dangerous weapons.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Paschall emphasized how McCaughey's actions were particularly "egregious and protracted" compared to his fellow rioters during their trial. In her sentencing memorandum filed on Friday, she highlighted that this level of violence merits severe punishment.
In addition to seeking one of the longest sentences yet for any defendant involved in January 6 events – specifically a term lasting188 months – prosecutors are also requesting that he pay restitution totaling $2 million alongside his co-defendants as part of their collective responsibility toward repairing damage caused at the Capitol building.
McCaug hey’s defense attorney has argued against such lengthy imprisonment terms claiming it would be excessive given how many others played significant roles throughout these events; however no formal response from them regarding this recent filing has been made public thus far.