Pasco County man gets prison time for participating in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pasco County man was given prison time Wednesday for his actions during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ryan K. Yates, 37, of Holiday, was sentenced to six months in prison, three months of home detention and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Yates unlawfully entered the Capitol building by pushing away barricades before moving to the House side where a group of rioters was trying to enter the House floor, officials said.

Prosecutors said Yates joined the rioters as they moved forward and pushed against police to try and enter the Rotunda to disrupt the certification of the 2020 presidential election results, in which Joe Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump.

Yates was eventually escorted out of the building but remained in a restricted area.

Yates was arrested on Sept. 26, 2023.

More than 1,450 people from all 50 states have been charged for alleged actions during the riot. More than 500 of them have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, which is a felony.

Trump has also been charged, both federally and in Georgia, for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

The Supreme Court is expected to release its opinion on Trump’s argument that he should be immune from prosecution before the end of June, which could impact if the cases move forward.

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