A couple from Virginia was sentenced to home detention on Wednesday for charges stemming from the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.
Jessica and Joshua Bustle were charged with illegally entering the U.S. Capitol building and remaining inside for approximately 20 minutes before leaving. Both pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges.
“I seriously considered putting you in jail,” U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Hogan told the wife and husband from Bristow. Hogan also noted that the couple came to Washington, D.C., to participate in an anti-vaccine protest, not to engage in efforts to block Congress from certifying the election.
The couple was sentenced to two years of probation and 40 hours of community service. Joshua Bustle was also sentenced to home confinement for 30 days, and Jessica Bustle was ordered to serve 60 days, partially based on comments she made supporting rioters following the incident.
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“A riot cannot occur without rioters, and each rioter’s actions — from the most mundane to the most violent — contributed, directly and indirectly, to the violence and destruction that day,” prosecutors said.
The prosecutors added that the couple already suffered “personal and reputational consequences” following entry into the Capitol, including the husband, who said he was no longer able to sell real estate due to his involvement.
Following the riot, Jessica posted on social media that the 2020 election was stolen and that she was proud of the people who entered the Capitol for “standing up.”
She told Hogan that she no longer stood by those claims, adding, “The violence and stuff like that I wasn’t aware of, because I didn’t see any of those things going on.”
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The Washington Examiner contacted the U.S. District Court of Washington, D.C., but did not immediately receive a response.
Roughly 550 people have been charged in connection to the swarm of rioters who stormed the Capitol as Congress was certifying President Joe Biden’s electoral victory, and a couple dozen have pleaded guilty.
