Chicago man sentenced to 4 years in prison for role in January 6 riot at US Capitol

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Jefferson Park man who stole one of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's favorite photos off the wall of her Capitol Hill office during the D.C. riot of January 6th, 2021, is going to prison.

Kevin Lyons committed menacing conduct according to authorities. Lyons is a 40-year-old father from Chicago and also a self-professed idiot. That's how he described himself in federal court Friday for, among other things, swiping Pelosi's prized photo, a picture of Pelosi with iconic civil rights Congressman John Lewis. While heading back to Chicago, Lyons posted a picture of himself and the stolen treasure, which has never been found.

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Lyons was sentenced to four years and three months for what he admits was idiocy and stupidity on January 6th.

The Chicago man was part of a riotous mob on Capitol Hill according to prosecutors. They say he maintained a glib tone in the face of destruction, chaos, and violence by joking about the takeover, toppled security fences, shattered windows, broken doors, and overrun police officers.

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The I-Team first reported that Lyons posted on his Instagram a screenshot of a wooden plaque outside of Pelosi's office. We were there when FBI agents raided Lyons' Jefferson Park home a few weeks after the January 6th insurrection. Among the evidence they used against him: a map showing a route from Chicago to Washington D.C. on Instagram with the caption "I refuse to tell my children that I sat back and did nothing. I am heading to DC to STOP THE STEAL!" He was apparently referring to President Trump's unfounded allegation that the election was rigged.

"People like to confess or admit or brag about the things they do, even if they're illegal. That's actually helped fuel these prosecutions," ABC7's chief legal analyst Gil Soffer told the I-Team. The former federal prosecutor says Lyons has been slapped with one of the harsher January 6th punishments.

"I think the sentence signals a couple of things. One is the increasing seriousness of sentences and the willingness of judges to impose them. Second is the government's continuing efforts, we still haven't seen any indication that their effort, one of the largest in history, is flagging in any serious way," said Soffer. "And I think third, the sentence reflects the seriousness of this conduct even though it wasn't violent. He went into the inner sanctum, he went into the Speaker of the House, her office, and took things. The judge is clearly sending a message here."

According to court records, the judge is recommending sending Lyons to a federal prison close to Chicago.