Schiller Park resident Robin Reierson, who will turn 70 next month, pleaded guilty to "assaulting, resisting or impeding officers" during the Capitol Hill takeover but had pushed for a no jail time. Federal prosecutors, who have been emphasizing the need for prison as a public deterrent to such political violence, wanted Reierson to be put away for two years.
In an unusual move by authorities, Reierson was immediately taken into custody at the conclusion of his Wednesday sentencing hearing in Washington, DC. Typically defendants are allowed time to put their affairs in order and then surrender at some future date.
That was not the case for Reierson on Wednesday. His full sentence is a year and a half behind bars, followed by 36 months of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, and $2,000 restitution.
Michael Leonard, Reierson's attorney, tells the I-Team that U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton had a message for Reierson as he ordered him immediately sent to prison.
"The judge spent a lot of time talking directly to [Reierson] and sort of enunciating his themes about there's another election upcoming. I need to send a message to people who might do something in light of this next, next election," Leonard said.
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"I would certainly argue that the sentence is supposed to be tailored to the person who committed the crime," Leonard added. "Particularly when you got a guy like Reierson, who was, by all accounts, led a great life, is a tremendously respected guy in the community. So, it's disappointing that [the sentence] is not more tailored to him in this case."
ABC 7 chief legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Gil Soffer said it's possible the judge wanted to send a message with Reierson's sentencing.
"The government is not immune to what's happening around it," Soffer said. "The Department of Justice is not immune to what's happening in the broader world. So it may well be part of their thinking that, given the election, that they want to send a message loud and clear that conduct like this will not be tolerated."
As the ABC7 I-Team first reported, at the time of the riot, Reierson worked as a lead welder at Argonne National Laboratory, a top security facility southwest of Chicago. A spokesperson for Argonne National Laboratory told the I-Team that Reierson "is no longer employed by the lab" and directed all further questions to the U.S. Attorney's office.
According to the sentencing judge, Reierson must stay away from Capitol grounds while on supervised release unless given special authorization.
Authorities say Reierson "used his back and body to push against a bike rack barrier and into the line of assembled officers," conduct that quickly resulted in the collapse of a police skirmish line and yielded a breach that allowed an angry mob to push toward the capitol building.
During the melee, security photos show Reierson wearing a protective helmet and cheering on fellow attackers according to investigators-encouraging them "don't stop... keep going!"
The sentencing on Wednesday follows a similar recent pattern of harsher penalties for defendants charged with crimes related to January 6.
"The government's made clear why they're asking for more jail time to send a message to deter similar conduct in potential future cases like this," Soffer told the I-Team. "They're becoming more aggressive with these cases."