WASHINGTON — The Justice Department wants a former Virginia rapper who used a photo of himself at the Capitol riot for an album cover to serve nearly two years behind bars.
Prosecutors filed their sentencing memo Monday for Antionne Brodnax, who performs under the name “Bugzie the Don.” In August, the DOJ said it intended to offer a plea agreement for a single misdemeanor charge. However, prosecutors said Brodnax wanted concessions they weren’t willing to make. He ultimately pleaded guilty to all four counts against him without a deal in place.
In the memo, the DOJ asks a federal judge to sentence Brodnax to 21 months in prison. That would be one of the longer sentences handed down to date in a Capitol riot case, but it’s warranted, prosecutors said, by Brodnax’s significant criminal history.
Brodnax was serving probation for a felony charge when he entered the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6 with other rioters. He has prior felony convictions for possession of and manufacturing a controlled substance, robbery and possession of a firearm by a felon. In 2009, he was sentenced to two years in prison for violating the conditions of his supervised release for incidents involving an alleged shooting and half a kilo of cocaine.
“The government would not be seeking a twenty-one month prison sentence in this case absent the defendant’s substantial criminal history,” prosecutors wrote.
Brodnax’s attorney, Mary Maguire, said in her sentencing memo last month that he should only be facing an advisory sentence of two-to-eight months. She argued a sentence of probation and, if necessary, two months of home detention, would be sufficient.
Maguire described Brodnax as an entrepreneur – he has a small clothing line and music label – and a “great community asset.” Since his arrest he has moved to Georgia, where he has found employment at a high-pressure processing plant. Maguire also said Brodnax immediately cooperated with the FBI when agents contacted him.
Brodnax was scheduled to be sentenced on February 23 by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman.
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