On Friday, a self-described “idiot” who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 and stole a wallet and a framed photo of civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis was sentenced to more than four years in prison.
According to NBC News, Chicago-based father-of-two Kevin Lyons was previously found guilty of felony counts of “entering and remaining in a restricted building, unruly and disruptive behavior in a restricted building, and obstruction of an official proceeding.”
U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell sentenced the 40-year-old to four years and three months in federal prison, saying it was rare for her to have a defendant appear before her who described their childhood as “perfect,” as Lyons did. Lyons has “no excuse” for his conduct, the judge said.
Lyons recorded himself as he stole a wallet from a staff member’s jacket. According to federal prosecutors, the framed photo he stole was a gift to Pelosi about two months after Lewis died. It showed Pelosi and Lewis, who “was a Freedom Rider, spoke during the 1963 March on Washington, and got his skull fractured by an Alabama state trooper as she tried to cross a bridge in Selma in 1965” at the “Door of No Return” at Elmina Castle in Ghana.
In a memo regarding the sentencing, Federal prosecutors stated that Lyons “left the Capitol via an Uber before traveling back to Chicago.” That evening, he admittedly took the stolen photo and texted a picture of it to some buddies. I’m very convinced I am now a multiple Federal felon,” he boasted later. The picture was never found.
“I’m a pretty eccentric person; you might be able to tell,” Lyons said. “I let the crowd and the mob and stuff kind of take over me. … It’s insane. I can’t believe it.” He apologized for the impact that his crimes had on his 16-year-old and 13-year-old sons.
“I’m an idiot; I realize that,” Lyons said. “I was stupid. I don’t know what came over me… I apologize to you, the country, and my family.”
More than 1,000 people have been prosecuted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol, and at least 335 have received prison sentences. The Justice Department stated last month that their determination to bring Jan. 6 offenders accountable “has not, and will not, wane.”