Arr! A swashbucklin' Proud Boy be wieldin' an axe handle 'n be gettin' 55 moonths fer his part in th' J6 riot!
2024-01-12
Avast ye! William Chrestman, a landlubber from Olathe, Kansas, be given a punishment of four long years and seven months in the brig for his scurvy role in the riot that shook the Capitol on the 6th day of January, 2021. Ye be learnin' a lesson, matey!
A member of the Proud Boys extremist group, William Chrestman, has been sentenced to over four years in prison for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol three years ago. Chrestman, a former U.S. Army veteran from Olathe, Kansas, brandished an axe handle and threatened police during the Capitol riot. He pleaded guilty to obstructing the joint session of Congress and threatening to assault a federal officer. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly sentenced Chrestman to four years and seven months in prison, slightly less than the prosecution's recommendation of five years and three months. Prosecutors argued that Chrestman played a significant role in the riot, acting as a leader and encouraging other rioters. Chrestman has been in jail since his arrest in February 2021 and will receive credit for the time served. His defense attorney claimed that Chrestman never used the axe handle violently during the riot. Chrestman was part of a group of Proud Boys who traveled to Washington with tactical gear. During the riot, he joined other Proud Boys in breaching police barriers and shouting threats at officers. Chrestman also gestured at the police with his axe handle, threatening to assault them if they used pepper ball rounds against the rioters. Over 1,200 individuals have been charged with Capitol riot-related crimes, with about 900 pleading guilty or being convicted. Dozens of Proud Boys members and leaders have been arrested, including the group's former national chairman, Enrique Tarrio, who received a 22-year prison sentence for seditious conspiracy charges.