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Capitol rioter who put feet on Pelosi desk convicted

Richard Barnett with his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk during the 6 January Capitol riots
Richard Barnett with his feet on Nancy Pelosi's desk during the 6 January Capitol riots

An Arkansas man who famously was photographed putting his feet up on a desk inside then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol was convicted on eight counts by a Washington jury.

The guilty verdict against Richard "Bigo" Barnett came just a few days after he took the stand in his own defence.

Barnett, 62, of Gravette, Arkansas, was among one of the earliest people to be arrested after supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in a failed bid to block Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory.

A photo of him with his feet propped up on a desk in Ms Pelosi's office went viral in the days following the attack.

In a media interview after the attack, he was quoted as saying: "I put a quarter on her desk even though she ain't … worth it. And I left her a note on her desk that says 'Nancy, Bigo was here, you b****'."

He also took an envelope from the desk that was addressed to another member of Congress and digitally signed by Ms Pelosi.

The jury convicted Barnett of eight crimes, including theft of government property and obstructing an official proceeding.

Obstruction of an official proceeding can carry up to 20 years in prison.

Richard Barnett outside court earlier this month

In his testimony, Barnett acknowledged he behaved badly, but insisted he did not understand that Congress was certifying the electoral votes, and he claimed he did not realise he was in a restricted area.

In explaining the famous photograph, he told the jury: "That's how I sit at my desk at home."

Barnett, speaking outside the courthouse following the verdict, told reporters he did not get a fair trial because he did not have a jury of his "peers", according to video of his remarks from CBS News.

Asked what he meant by that, Barnett's lawyer said his client did not have a jury comprised of "people from Arkansas ... or a jury that has a political composition of anything that's like the rest of the United States".