The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld the conviction and 10-year prison sentence of retired New York Police Department officer Thomas Webster for assaulting a police officer during the Jan. 6, 2021, siege at the U.S. Capitol.
Webster, a 20-year NYPD veteran, claimed that the jury that convicted him was biased against him. However, the three-judge panel found no evidence to support this claim, stating that the jury pool had no preconceived notions about Webster.
During the Capitol riot, Webster tackled Metropolitan Police Department officer Noah Rathbun and grabbed his gas mask, leading to his conviction on all six counts in his indictment, including assault with a dangerous weapon.
Webster had driven to Washington from New York to attend then-President Donald Trump’s rally and joined the mob that stormed the Capitol. Despite his self-defense argument, the jury found him guilty.
The panel also dismissed Webster’s argument that the length of his sentence was unreasonable compared to other Capitol riot defendants, noting that only 10 out of over 850 sentenced individuals received longer prison terms.
This decision marks a significant development in the aftermath of the Capitol riot, emphasizing the accountability of individuals involved in the violent insurrection.