- Former Police Chief Alan Hostetter, of California, was convicted Thursday for his role in the U.S. Capitol protest on Jan. 6.
- Hostetter, a right-wing activist, was carrying a hatchet in his bag when he stormed the Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
- A judge convicted Hostetter of conspiracy to block the presidential certification and entering the Capitol with a dangerous weapon.
A former California police chief was convicted on Thursday of joining the riot at the U.S. Capitol with a hatchet in his backpack and plotting to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory.
A judge in Washington’s federal court heard testimony without a jury before convicting Alan Hostetter, a right-wing activist and vocal critic of COVID-19 restrictions who defended himself at his bench trial with help from a standby attorney.
Hostetter used his closing arguments to spin conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. He falsely claimed the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as a victim of FBI corruption and referred to the mob’s attack as a “federal setup” involving “crisis actors wearing costumes.” He downplayed violence at the Capitol, referring to the riot as “basically the equivalent of a three-hour hissy fit.”
MAN WHO STORMED US CAPITOL WHILE FREE ON AN ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE GETS 3 YEARS FOR ROLE IN PROTEST
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth told Hostetter that no reasonable person — let alone a veteran police officer — would believe that it was legal to use mob violence to obstruct Congress.
“Belief that your actions are for a greater good does not negate consciousness of wrongdoing,” Lamberth said.
Hostetter — who previously served as police chief in La Habra, California, near Los Angeles — was convicted on all four counts, including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and entering a restricted area with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The judge scheduled…
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