A federal choose has sentenced Lonnie Coffman, of Alabama, to 46 months in jail for bringing a cache of weapons, Molotov cocktails, a machete, ammunition feeding gadgets to Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, 2021. Coffman admitted having the assortment of weapons in a purple pickup truck, parked in Southeast Washington, D.C., at 9:20 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 6. The truck was situated close to the headquarters of the Republican Nationwide Committee and the Cannon Home Constructing.
Coffman was not accused of being a part of the riot, however acknowledged having a gun on his individual as he moved by means of Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.
Whereas issuing her sentence, D.C. District Decide Colleen Koller-Kotelly sharply criticized Coffman for his lack of an evidence for his actions and his resolution to drive an arsenal of weapons to the Capitol hours earlier than the siege. She in contrast the chemical compounds contained in the Molotov cocktails to napalm and stated she had by no means seen such a big or vast assortment of weapons in a federal felony case.
Coffman's case is exclusive amongst Jan. 6 defendants — he was accused of constructing a previous journey, in December 2020, in search of out a U.S. senator to debate a problem to the 2020 election. He was additionally accused of getting a "good man" and "dangerous man" checklist when he was arrested. A federal choose was amongst these named on the "dangerous man" checklist, in line with Friday's courtroom proceedings.
Coffman is a Vietnam Conflict veteran who has served greater than a 12 months in pretrial detention, and he has been experiencing a sequence of psychological and bodily well being challenges, in line with courtroom filings from Coffman's protection legal professional. His time in pretrial detention shall be credited as a part of his 46-month sentence.
He pleaded responsible to possession of unregistered firearm. He's presently considered one of 32 defendants from Jan. 6 instances who're being held within the Washington, D.C., jail. He'll be transferred to a federal Bureau of Prisons facility to serve the rest of his sentence.