WASHINGTON — A federal judge sentenced a former New Jersey electrician to 12 years in prison Friday for assaulting at least a half dozen officers during the Capitol riot.
Christopher Joseph Quaglin, 38, of North Brunswick, was convicted last July of 14 counts, including 12 felonies, in a stipulated bench trial. The charges include six counts of assaulting police, two counts of robbery and one count of obstructing an official proceeding.
Federal prosecutors sought 14 years in prison for Quaglin – describing him as among the most violent members of the mob on Jan. 6. In a sentencing memo, they said he was part of the first breach of bike rack barricades and spent more than three hours “wreaking havoc” on the west side of the U.S. Capitol.
“On at least a dozen occasions, Quaglin stood face-to-face with officers as he screamed at, pushed with outstretched arms, punched, swatted and slapped officers; pushed bike racks into officers; and even choked one officer to the ground,” prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors said Quaglin also sprayed multiple officers with chemical irritant, including spraying at least one officer who was not wearing a gas mas or face shield directly in the face.
Prosecutors also highlighted Quaglin’s preparation for Jan. 6. For weeks beforehand, they said, he discussed with others his plans to wear body armor and a gas mask and the possibility of carrying weapons, including knives and bear spray. Quaglin also wrote that he was “looking forward to a war” and” according to prosecutors, encouraged others on social media to “pick up arms and storm the capital.”
Quaglin marched to the Capitol with members of the Proud Boys, and recorded himself en route shouting, “Proud of your boy!” – one of the group’s slogans. In court filings, prosecutors have described Quaglin as a “self-proclaimed” member of the group.
Quaglin had been represented by a number of attorneys throughout his case. His latest, Kristi Fulnecky, sought a time-served sentence for the approximately three years Quaglin spent in pre-trial detention since his arrest in April 2021. In court Friday, Fulnecky highlighted his repeated complaints about his treatment at multiple jails and told U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden that Quaglin and other Jan. 6 defendants were "political prisoners."
"He's a patriot and he does support the police," she said.
McFadden, a former deputy attorney general who was nominated to the federal bench in 2017 by former President Donald Trump, said Quaglin had shown no remorse in the three years since his arrest. He also repeatedly rebuked Quaglin for his "shocking and lawless" conduct on Jan. 6, saying he was the most violent and most egregious of the nine co-defendants in his case.
"I've sentenced a number of Jan. 6 defendants who clearly got caught up in something they didn't anticipate," McFadden said. "But not you."
McFadden said it was obvious from the video that Quaglin spent hours on the west side of the Capitol looking for opportunities to assault officers. While he did it, Quaglin wore an American flag patterned MAGA hoodie, which McFadden described as an "outrage" and a "disgrace."
"You are a menace to our society," the judge said.
McFadden ordered Quaglin to serve 144 months, or 12 years in prison, to be followed by two years of supervised release. He will also have to pay $2,000 in restitution.
Before his sentence, Quaglin, who has been defiant throughout his case, accused McFadden and the government in a conspiracy-laden rant of colluding to "torture" him. As he was being led out of the courtroom following his sentencing, Quaglin sought to get in one last word.
"You're Trump's worst mistake of 2016," Qauglin said.
Quaglin will receive credit for approximately three years already served in pretrial detention. His attorney did not make a recommendation for placement in a specific Bureau of Prisons facility.