Richard Barnett
Photograph taken by newswire photojournalist Saul Loeb showing Barnett in the Speaker's office.
Born
Richard Morris Barnett

May 1960 (age 63)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupations
  • Salesperson
  • firefighter
Known forJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack
Conviction(s)Eight charges including: civil disorder, disorderly conduct in a capitol building, and theft of government property
Criminal penalty54 months confinement, 36 months probation, $2,000 fine
Evidence photograph of the note left by Barnett

Richard Morris "Bigo" Barnett (born May 1960)[1][2][3] is an American convicted felon who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. A photograph of Barnett with his feet on a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office in the Capitol building became one of the most prominent images of the January 6 attack.

In 2023, he was convicted of eight crimes, including four felonies.[4] He was sentenced to 54 months of incarceration on May 24, 2023.[3]

Career and activism

Barnett described himself as a retired Memphis firefighter although Memphis Fire Services were unable to verify the statement.[2][5] His lawyer described him as a window salesman.[6]

Barnett has described himself as the co-founder of the 2A NWA STAND, pro-second amendment rights group.[5] In September 2020, Barnett was questioned by Fayetteville police who were called in connection with Barnett open-carrying weapons.[7]

Photographed during January 6 United States Capitol attack

On January 6, 2021, photojournalist Saul Loeb was working for the newswire service Agence France-Presse, assigned to document the joint session of Congress. Upon arriving at the Capitol that morning, Loeb noted "security postures were the same as any typical day on Capitol Hill — which was a little surprising, given how many people were in town for the Trump rally, and knowing that they were going to come to the Hill".[8] Hours later, the Capitol was breached by a violent mob led by members of the Proud Boys militia who planned to use violence to stop the transfer of power.[8]

After following a crowd, Loeb arrived in the Speaker's Office where he photographed Barnett.[8] Barnett put his feet on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, after trespassing into the U.S. Capitol armed with a stun gun.[9][2] Barnett also wrote a note for Pelosi and left it on her desk.[9] The note read:

"Hey Nancy, Bigo was here bi-otch."[10]

After the attack, Barnett boasted about his actions online,[9] including stealing an envelope.[2] He spent six minutes in the building.[11]

Loeb recalled the image, saying: "This is the office of the Speaker of the House! She’s third in line for the presidency, and this is normally a pretty tough place to get into. So I kept going through the office, and eventually came across this guy sitting at one of the staffers’ desks with his feet up. He’s pretty jovial, and looking through some of the papers on the desk. The staffers that had been in there earlier had left in such a hurry that there were still emails open on their computers. People had left their cell phones on their desks. It was clear that whoever had left was in a big hurry and probably scared, and wanted to get out as fast as they could. But now these guys are in there, treating it as if it were their home. It was a pretty jarring sight to see."[8]

Barnett welcomed having his photograph taken and provided Loeb with his name.[8]

Publication and reception

The photo quickly went viral, being shared widely on social media.[12] By the evening of January 6, the mayor of Barnett's hometown issued a statement saying "This picture has gone viral and has brought the city of Gravette into the spotlight, which is unfortunate... We have had citizens receive threats, calls to our police, social media posts, and emails wanting to know what Gravette is going to do about this situation."[13]

Jeffrey A. Rosen, acting attorney general of the United States, described the photograph as "shocking" and "repulsive".[12] The Washington Post ran a headline about the photograph: "Many of the images from the Capitol riot showed the terror. One highlighted the smugness"[12]

The photograph was described in The Washington Post as "one of the more shocking images in a day filled with them", while ABC News characterized it as "infamous".[14][15] By June 2021, Barnett had begun selling autographed copies of the photo for $100 in a fundraiser that bragged the photo had turned him into "the face of the new anti-Federalist movement".[14] Barnett participation in the photo led Canada's CBC to describe him as "one of the most recognizable figures of Jan. 6".[16]

Loeb, a 2004 alumni of the University of Arizona School of Journalism, was profiled by his alma mater and he was widely interviewed about his experience in the Speaker's office.[17][18][19][20]

Arrest, trial and incarceration

On January 8, 2021, Barnett was arrested.[6] He was indicted on January 29 of four misdemeanor and four felony charges: disorderly conduct; "obstruction of an official proceeding; aiding and abetting; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building; and theft of government property."[6] On February 4, 2021, Barnett pleaded not guilty to all charges.[6]

Judge Christopher "Casey" Cooper allowed Barnett to be released from jail on April 27, 2021, warning him that it was a test, and noting Barnett's "outlandish behavior and attempts to avoid detection after the riot, brandishing of guns in public, taking a stun gun into the Capitol and his possible adherence to some QAnon conspiracy theories".[9]

His Washington, D.C.[6] criminal trial was one of the highest profile prosecutions of a January 6 rioter.[2] Barnett was represented in court by Joseph D. McBride, an attorney known for his defense of the January 6 Capitol rioters.[21][22]

After approximately two hours of jury deliberation,[23] Barnett was found guilty of all charges in January 2023,[2] including civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding.[24] On May 24, 2023, he was sentenced to 54 months in prison. At the sentencing prosecution brought up Barnett's attempt to profit from his crimes by selling autographed photos of himself in Pelosi's office, and the fact that several Capitol staffers left public service due to trauma caused by the riot.[25] After release he will be subject to 36 months supervised release and a $2,000 fine.[26]

Following sentencing Barnett requested that he be placed at Federal Prison Camp, Yankton in Yankton, South Dakota and that he be allowed wait until August 22 to self-report to prison. He was allowed to self-report, but all his other requests were denied. He stated he plans to appeal the conviction.[27]

As of September 1, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator page shows Richard Barnett, age 63, is incarcerated at FCI Oakdale, a low security 835-inmate federal correctional institution located in Oakdale, Louisiana. The Bureau of Prisons inmate entry for Barnett shows: "Release Date: 02/12/2027."[28]

Personal life

Barnett was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.[1] At the time of the Capitol attack, he was aged 60 and lived in Gravette, Arkansas.[29][2][3]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Perrusquia, Marc (January 25, 2021). "Capitol Riot: The Former Memphis Man In Nancy Pelosi's Office". The Institute for Public Service Reporting. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Capitol rioter who posed with feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk found guilty". BBC News. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "Jan. 6 rioter who put his feet on desk in Pelosi office sentenced to 4.5 years in prison". NBC News. May 24, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia (January 23, 2023). "Arkansas Man Who Put His Feet on Desk in the Offices of Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Found Guilty of Felony and Misdemeanor Charges Related to Capitol Breach". www.justice.gov. Washington DC: Department of Justice. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Hardiman, Micaela A. Watts and Samuel. "Man who sat in Nancy Pelosi's office says he is a former firefighter 'out of Memphis'". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Levenson, Michael (January 23, 2023). "Jury Convicts Man Who Posed With Boot on Desk in Pelosi's Office". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ "YouTube Fayetteville Police BodyCam". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 https://web.archive.org/web/20231114015735/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/saul-loeb-maga-insurrection-riot-richard-barnett-photographs-1111717/
  9. 1 2 3 4 Polantz, Katelyn (April 28, 2021). "Man who put his feet on desk in Pelosi's office during Capitol riot to be released from jail pending trial | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Jan. 6 intruder who sat at Pelosi office desk convicted on all charges". POLITICO. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  11. ↑ Cohen, Jason Hanna,Katelyn Polantz,Marshall (January 14, 2021). "Key arrests so far from the Capitol riot | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. 1 2 3 "Gravette man in jail cell; he surrenders to FBI after photo goes viral | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. January 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/08/954940681/man-who-posed-for-photos-sitting-at-desk-in-pelosis-office-has-been-arrested
  14. 1 2 Bella, Timothy (June 2, 2021). "Alleged Capitol rioter who posed in Pelosi's office is selling signed photos for $100 to help pay legal fees". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Jury convicts Jan. 6 rioter seen in infamous images with feet on desk in Pelosi's office". ABC News.
  16. ↑ https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/pelosi-office-feet-rickard-barnett-convicted-jan-6-1.6723168
  17. ↑ "Alum Loeb takes iconic photos of Capitol mob | School of Journalism". journalism.arizona.edu.
  18. ↑ "Photographer Who Captured Rioters at Nancy Pelosi's Desk Says Mob Was 'in Control of the Building'". Peoplemag.
  19. ↑ Presse, AFP-Agence France. "'Mystifying': AFP Photographer's Day Capturing US Capitol Rampage". www.barrons.com.
  20. ↑ Yuko, Elizabeth (January 8, 2021). "He Was Assigned to Photograph a Joint Session of Congress. The MAGA Mob Had Other Plans".
  21. ↑ Levenson, Michael (January 23, 2023). "Jury Convicts Man Who Posed With Boot on Desk in Pelosi's Office". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Judge scolds 1/6 lawyer, but won't seek disciplinary action". AP NEWS. April 21, 2023. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  23. ↑ "Man who propped feet on Pelosi desk guilty in Jan. 6 case". AP NEWS. January 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  24. ↑ "Man photographed with foot on Pelosi's desk on Jan 6 found guilty". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  25. ↑ Feuer, Alan; Montague, Zach (May 24, 2023). "Jan. 6 Rioter Who Reclined in Pelosi's Office Given Sentence of More Than 4 Years". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Arkansas Man Sentenced on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges Related to Capitol Breach" (Press release). Washington, DC: United States Department of Justice. May 24, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  27. ↑ Bowden, Bill (May 31, 2023). "Judge denies Bigo Barnett's prison delay request". Arkansas Online. Northwest Arkansas Newspapers LLC. (NWA Media). Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Inmate Locator".
  29. ↑ Hale-Shelton, Debra (December 21, 2022). "Defense team for Capitol rioter Bigo Barnett objects to QAnon questions". Arkansas Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
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