Federal judge overseeing D.C. Jan. 6 cases hands down her toughest sentence yet

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan sentenced former Maryland Proud Boys leader Scott Miller to more than five years in prison on Friday, for his role in the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill, marking her toughest sentence yet.

Hundreds of participants in the riot have received jail time for their role in the incident. Chutkan's 66-month sentence on Friday, however, nudges out two 63-month sentences she gave to Robert Palmer and Mark Ponder, both of whom were convicted of violent offenses, Politico reported. Miller's sentence is slightly less than the five years and 11 months that prosecutors sought.

Chutkan said she based her sentence on Miller's violence at the Capitol, but also on his private writings that included calls for violence against minorities and Jews. Miller, who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the riot, claims to have disavowed those violent beliefs.

The Obama-appointed judge praised the work of the Capitol Hill and Metro police who were on site during the riot, claiming they were patriots who were outnumbered on the day of the attack. But she also warned that the riot could happen again in the future.

“[Capitol police] faced horrendous circumstances. They were assaulted, spat on, beaten, kicked, gassed,” Chutkan said. “They are patriots. [But] it can happen again. Extremism is alive and well in this country. Threats of violence continue unabated.”

Miller attacked officers with makeshift weapons seven different times. Some of the weapons included a bottle, a stick, and poles, according to the Associated Press.

The former Proud Boys leader, who helped lead a chapter in Maryland and Washington, D.C., apologized for his role in the riot, and for attacking the officers, and said he wanted to be a “good example” for his child.

His wife, a mental health counselor who is 20 weeks pregnant with their first child, was also present in court at his sentencing.