Jan. 6 defendant dubbed 'Conan O'Riot' gets prison time for role in Capitol attack

WASHINGTON — A Jan. 6 defendant dubbed "Conan O'Riot" for his resemblance to comedian Conan O'Brien was sentenced this week to 75 days in federal prison for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack.

Derek Nelson, a former Marine, was arrested in October, over two years after he was first identified by online "sedition hunters" who have aided the FBI in hundreds of arrests of Jan. 6 defendants. Nelson pleaded guilty to a count of entering and remaining in a restricted building back in March.

Federal prosecutors had sought six months in prison for the 31-year-old Nelson, who entered the Capitol alongside his friend and fellow former Marine Derek Dodder, who told federal authorities that Nelson wore his Revolutionary War costume to be a “rabble rouser.”

The duo purchased respirators from a local hardware store, and were part of the breach of police lines, with Nelson grabbing one officer's shield and attempting to body-check another, and then helping a fellow rioter pick up the shield after the officer dropped it. In one video from Jan. 6, Nelson told a videographer he was in Washington “to start a revolution.”

“Who do they work for?” Nelson yelled inside the Capitol while pumping his fist into the air. “Us!”

Nelson soon joined the mob trying to breach the main door to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where rioters shattered windows and had a stand-off with members of Congress while armed law enforcement officers pointed guns through the broken glass. In total, he spent about 48 minutes inside the building.

Nelson spoke with the government twice pursuant to his plea agreement, but federal prosecutors said he gave many explanations that "were either internally inconsistent or did not stand up to serious scrutiny."