Court records: Butler County father and son sentenced to probation for breaching Capitol

Quinlan Bentley, Cincinnati Enquirer
·2 min read
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Paul Seymour Sr. and Paul Seymour Jr. (at right, holding flag) inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Paul Seymour Sr. and Paul Seymour Jr. (at right, holding flag) inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

A Butler County father and son were sentenced in federal court on Friday for breaching the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 riots.

Paul Seymour Sr., 61, and Paul Seymour Jr., 33, were sentenced to 12 months of probation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

In addition, the pair must serve 60 hours of community service and pay $500 in restitution, prosecutors said. They pleaded guilty earlier this year to counts of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building.

Prosecutors asked the court to impose a sentence of 90 day of home detention and three years of probation, court records show.

The Seymours traveled to Washington D.C. to attend the "Stop the Steal" rally near the White House, after which they walked to the U.S. Capitol Building, prosecutors said in court filings.

While police were fending off rioters trying to enter the Capitol, prosecutors said, the Seymours stood among a "mob of rioters" on the west plaza who chanted, "Police stand down."

Prosecutors said the two men witnessed clashes with police and rioters breaking windows before they entered the Capitol through the broken Senate Wing doors, prosecutors said in court filings.

Once inside the building, the two men went to the crypt and posed for a photo taken by another rioter, according to the court filings.

They spent about 30 minutes inside the Capitol "parading through the building at will," prosecutors said, adding Seymour Jr. was carrying a large Donald Trump flag.

The Seymours complied with police officers' orders to exit the building, the court filings state. Images show Seymour Jr. holding his arms in the air as he left the Capitol.

Seymour Sr. and Seymour Jr. didn't leave the restricted Capitol grounds until after it had grown dark, according to prosecutors. The younger Seymour posed for a photo of himself in front of a line of police officers, clad in riot gear, who formed a perimeter outside the Capitol.

In court documents, prosecutors said the Seymours "did not personally engage in violence or property destruction during the riot."

Seymour Sr. did not have a criminal history prior to taking part in the Capitol riots, court records show. The younger Seymore has previous convictions for drug paraphernalia and underage alcohol offenses.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Father and son sentenced to probation for breaching U.S. Capitol