Actor Jay Johnston Bob’s Burger and Announcer: The Legend of Ron Burgundy Fame, is headed to prison for his role in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
On Monday, Johnston, 56, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison. The ruling came nearly four months after the actor pleaded guilty to interfering with police officers on duty on the day of the riot.
His lawyer told the federal judge that he had been “blacklisted” by Hollywood since the riot.
Jay Johnston approaches the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on January 6, 2021.
US Department of Justice
“It’s humiliating and a terrible oversight,” Johnston told U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols of his participation in the riot.
He regretted that it “made it more difficult for the police to do their job” on January 6. He said he never imagined that riots would break out that day.
“I think it was due to my ignorance,” he told Nichols. “If I had been more political, I might have seen this coming, perhaps.”
The judge allowed him to remain free after the session and referred him to prison on a date that will be determined later. Nichols said he realizes Johnston will miss caring for his 13-year-old autistic daughter while he is behind bars.
“But his behavior on January 6 was highly problematic. It is truly reprehensible,” the judge said.
Johnston, best known for voicing pizzeria owner Jimmy Pesto in the cartoon Bob’s Burgerwas arrested last year and charged with a felony count of civil disorder. He was accused of confronting police officers as part of a crowd of Donald Trump supporters, many of whom illegally entered the US Capitol.
On January 6, 2021, Johnston was photographed among a crowd of rioters who gathered in the Lower West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol near an area known as “The Tunnel,” according to a previous press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. .
Jay Johnston holds a Capitol Police shield in the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on January 6, 2021.
US Department of Justice
The authority said the area witnessed “some of the most violent attacks” against law enforcement forces during the riots.
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Johnston, who filmed most of the riot on his mobile phone, stood behind a line of police barricades in the tunnel.
For 40 minutes, rioters tried to remove barricades and advance closer to the Capitol building.
Johnston was seen facing a crowd of rioters, beating his fists together and gesturing.
He was handed a stolen US Capitol Police riot shield from another person in the crowd. As some rioters called for a “shield wall,” Johnston held the shield in front of him for a few moments before handing it over.
This photo from the Washington Metropolitan Police Department shows Actor Jay Johnston, surrounded by a yellow circle, at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington.
Department of Justice via AP
As Johnston and others continued to push toward the police line in the tunnel, court documents say a Metropolitan Police Department officer was crushed between the crowd and the door.
The police were eventually forced to retreat.
Shortly after, Johnston left the tunnel. He did not enter the Capitol building with other rioters.
On Monday, prosecutors recommended an 18-month prison sentence for Johnston. Their sentencing memorandum includes a photo of a smiling Johnston dressed as Jacob Chansley, the spear-wielding Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman,” at a Halloween party nearly two years after the siege.
“He believes his participation in one of the most serious crimes against our democracy is a joke,” prosecutors wrote.
Before his arrest, Johnston was one of hundreds sought by the FBI in connection with the riot. With the help of social media users who recognized Johnston from his numerous television appearances, as well as Johnston’s personal contacts, federal agents were able to arrest him.
More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riot. More than 1,000 rioters were convicted and sentenced. Nearly 650 of them received prison sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years.
Johnston is no longer the voice of Jimmy Pesto Bob’s Burger. Canadian-American voice actor Eric Bauza has since taken over the role.
Johnston’s acting credits also include television shows Arrested development, Mr. Shaw with Bob and David, You’d better call Saul and The Sarah Silverman Show.
— With files from Global News and The Associated Press
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