WASHINGTON – Joshua Calvin Hughes of Montana, who was charged with his brother Jerod Wayne Hughes, was sentenced to prison on November 22, 2022 in the District of Columbia for his actions during the January 6 burglary of the US Capitol. 2021
The violation disrupted a joint session of the US Congress called to determine and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
The US Department of Justice said in a press release that Joshua, 39, has been sentenced to 38 months in prison.
Jerod, 37, is due to be sentenced on January 6, 2023. The brothers, both from East Helena, pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding on August 25, 2022.
Court documents say the brothers attended a rally near the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021. They then went to the US Capitol, where they illegally entered the Capitol grounds. They joined a group of rioters on the north stairway on the west side of the Capitol. They were part of the crowd that pushed past a line of police officers at the top of the stairs, forcing the officers to retreat. Both men entered the Capitol at around 2:13 p.m. through a window next to the Senate Wing door, which had been shattered by other rioters. Joshua and Jerod Hughes were among the first rioters to enter the Capitol.
Once inside the building, Jerod Hughes joined another rioter as he attempted to force open the Senate wing door. The brothers kept walking, following other rioters who were chasing Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman into the Ohio Clock Corridor. During a standoff there, Jerod Hughes shouted and made aggressive gestures towards officers. Then they moved towards the Senate Gallery and entered it. At around 2:48 p.m. they entered the Senate Chamber, among the first rioters there. They walked between the Senators’ desks for about two minutes and then exited the Capitol.
Both men were arrested in Montana on February 1, 2021.
After Joshua’s sentence, he will be released under supervision for three years. He also has to pay $2,000 in damages.
As part of his plea deal, Jerod Hughes has also agreed to pay $2,000 in compensation.
This case was prosecuted by the US Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice’s Counter-Terrorism Branch of the National Security Division.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Salt Lake City Field Office and its Helena, Montana branch and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which Joshua Hughes identified as #42 in his information-seeking photos, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 22 months since Jan. 6, 2021, nearly 900 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the US Capitol break-in, including more than 275 people charged with assault or obstruction of law enforcement. The investigations are ongoing.