WASHINGTON — An Army veteran who was court-martialed for shooting a handcuffed civilian while serving in Iraq was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison for assaulting police with a weapon on Jan. 6.
Edward Richmond Jr., 41, of Geismar, Louisiana, pleaded guilty in August to one felony count of assaulting police with a deadly weapon for assaulting officers with a metal police baton while they were attempting to keep rioters from entering the U.S. Capitol through the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
Richmond can be seen in photographs from Jan. 6 wearing tactical gear, including a helmet and large shoulder pads, and carrying a two-way radio. According to a memo filed by his attorneys, he came to D.C. to provide security for an unidentified woman. Once at the Capitol, Richmond joined in the “heave ho” effort against police in the tunnel and helped pass stolen congressional furniture, a police riot shield and a large wooden board through the crowd.
Prosecutors sought 63 months, or more than 5 years, in prison for Richmond, saying his actions on Jan. 6 were the latest in a “long series of violent offenses and blatant disregard for the law.” According to their sentencing memo, Richmond was found to be illegally in possession of an AR-15 and three loaded magazines when he was arrested earlier this year – despite being prohibited from possessing a weapon due to a court-martial during his military service.
In 2004, Richmond was convicted of manslaughter by an Army court-martial panel for shooting an Iraqi man, Muhamad Husain Kadir, in the head with a rifle. He was sentenced to three years in military confinement in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and dishonorably discharged from the Army.
Richmond’s attorneys, David Kindermann and John McLindon, sought a downward departure for him. Between Jan. 6 and his arrest in January they said Richmond has led a productive life as a mechanic and solar panel installer, as well as a single father to his son.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge John Bates sentenced Richmond to 51 months, or a little more than four years, in prison. Richmond will also have to serve three years of supervised release.
Richmond will receive credit for approximately nine months spent in pretrial detention.
In the 46 months since the attack on the U.S. Capitol, more than 1,500 defendants have now been charged. Nearly 1,200 have now pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial.