WAshington— An actor who played a brawling journalist in the film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and a pizzeria owner in the television series “Bob’s Burgers” pleaded guilty Monday to interfering with police officers trying to protect the Capitol from USA of mob attack.
Jay Johnston, 55, of Los Angeles, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison after pleading guilty to civil disorder, a felony. U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols is scheduled to sentence Johnston on Oct. 7.
Estimated sentencing guidelines for Johnston recommend a prison term ranging from eight to 14 months, but the judge is not bound by that term of his plea agreement with prosecutors.
Johnston’s attorney, Stanley Woodward, told his client not to comment to reporters as they left the courtroom.
Johnston, who was arrested last June, is one of more than 1,400 people charged with federal crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Video footage captured Johnston pushing police and helping protesters who attacked officers guarding the Capitol entrance in a tunnel on Lower West Terrace, according to testimony from an FBI agent. Johnston held a stolen police shield over his head and passed it to other protesters during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, the affidavit says.
Johnston “was near the tunnel entrance, turned around and signaled other protesters to come toward the entrance,” the agent wrote.
Johnston was the voice of the character Jimmy Pesto on Fox’s “Bob’s Burgers.” The Daily Beast reported in 2021 that Johnston was “banned” from the animated show following the attack on the Capitol.
Johnston appeared in “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” an HBO comedy series starring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. His credits also include small roles on the television show “Arrested Development” and the film “Anchorman,” starring Will Ferrell.
A court filing accompanying Johnston’s plea agreement says he used his cellphone to record protesters as they broke through barricades and drove officers back. Facing the crowd on Lower West Terrace, Johnston banged his fists and pointed. Another rioter handed him a bottle of water, which he used to help others flush chemicals from their eyes.
After passing through the stolen shield, Johnson joined other protesters in collectively putting pressure on police officers guarding the tunnel entrance. He left the tunnel minutes later, as per the agreement signed by Johnston.
Three current or former associates of Johnston identified him as a riot suspect from photos the FBI posted online, according to the agent. The FBI said one of those associates provided investigators with a text message in which Johnston acknowledged being at the Capitol on January 6.
“The news presented this as an attack. Actually it wasn’t. I thought it kind of turned into this. It was a mess. I was attacked and tear gassed and found it quite unpleasant,” Johnston wrote, according to the FBI.
Also on Monday, a Texas woman pleaded guilty to assaulting a Metropolitan Police Department officer during the Jan. 6 riot. Video captured Dana Jean Bell swearing at police officers inside the Capitol and grabbing an officer’s baton, according to statement from an FBI agent.
Bell, 65, of Princeton, Texas, was also captured on video assaulting a local television journalist outside the Capitol that day. The FBI affidavit says Bell appeared to reach out and try to push or grab the journalist, who worked for the Fox affiliate in Washington, D.C.
Bell faces a maximum sentence of eight years in prison. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is scheduled to sentence her on Oct. 17. Their estimated sentencing guidelines recommend a prison sentence ranging from two years to two years and six months.
Bell and his attorney, Joe Shearin, declined to comment as they left the courtroom.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
