The armed North Carolina man who entered a D.C. pizzeria after watching YouTube videos promoting the rumor that it held child sex slaves in the basement was sentenced to four years in federal prison on Thursday.
Defendants for Edgar Maddison Welch, 28, had sought an 18-month sentence, while prosecutors sought a four and a half year sentence.
Welch drove from his home in North Carolina to Comet Ping Pong in Northwest D.C. last December and fired “multiple rounds” of an AR-15 assault rifle as he was investigating the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory that circulated online. “Pizzagate” connected Hillary Clinton to a child sex ring at the pizza restaurant.
No one was shot, which federal prosecutors said was “entirely the product of good luck.”
Welch pleaded guilty to a federal charge of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition and a D.C. charge of assault with a dangerous weapon in March.
In a June 13 apology letter filed in the court, Welch said that, “It was never my intention to harm or frighten innocent lives, but I realize just how foolish and reckless my decision was.”
The owner of Comet Ping Pong, James Alefantis, spoke in court about the “physical terror” that resulted from Welch’s actions, which he also said “left lasting damage on the people I love.”
Welch surrendered peacefully to the police after finding no evidence of the conspiracy, and the Washington Post reported that he agreed to forfeit the weapons and ammunition he brought with him, as well as pay $5,744.33 for damages to the restaurant.
