Ryan Nichols, Capitol rioter who confessed on video in the third person, gets five years

WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump fanatic who assaulted officers with pepper spray and called for additional violence after the Capitol attack while confessing in the third person was sentenced to more than five years in federal prison and fined $200,000 on Thursday.

Ryan Nichols pleaded guilty in November to one felony count of obstruction of an official proceeding and one felony count of assaulting officers performing their duties. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee who has spoken out about the GOP's "preposterous" false claims about the Jan. 6 attack, sentenced Nichols to 63 months on Thursday, saying that while Nichols' apology at his sentencing hearing "appears to be sincere," Nichols made "very rigorous comments" on tape about his desire for future violence.

The $200,000 fine is among the highest set yet in a Jan. 6 case. It was imposed because Nichols did not cooperate with a financial evaluation, and so there's no evidence that he could not pay, Lamberth said. A crowdfunding account launched on behalf of Nichols and his family has raised more than $235,000 since 2021. Nichols' attorney indicated he planned to appeal the fine.

In one video, filmed before he took part in the Capitol attack, Nichols said that the mob would lynch elected officials who voted to certify Joe Biden’s presidential victory.

“This is the second f---ing revolution!” Nichols said as he marched over to the Capitol. “Ryan Nichols said it, if you voted for f---ing treason we’re going to drag your f---ing a-- through the streets.”

After being seen on film spraying a giant canister of a chemical weapon at officers inside the lower west terrace tunnel, Nichols took to Facebook to brag about his conduct and call for additional