QAnon Believer From Iowa Convicted on All 7 Jan. 6 Riot Charges
(Newsmax/"John Bachman Now")
By Charles Kim | Saturday, 24 September 2022 11:36 AM EDT
A federal jury convicted Des Moines, Iowa, resident Douglas Jansen, 41, on all seven charges Friday relating to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
According to the Des Moines Register, the federal jury of 10 men and two women took four hours to reach a verdict in the week-long trial, which depicted Jensen as a "leader of the mob" who believed conspiracy QAnon website posts regarding the 2020 presidential election.
Jansen was one of several hundred supporters of former President Donald Trump that stormed the U.S. Capitol during a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 election results.
"Doug Jensen would not be stopped on Jan. 6 until he got what he came for: to stop the peaceful transfer of power," prosecutors said in their closing argument. "Jensen was the rioter who would not back down. If it wasn't all recorded from at least 10 different angles, it'd be pretty hard to believe."
A video during the trial showed Jensen chasing U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase, The Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors said that Jensen, a construction worker, told Capitol Police officers to "go arrest the vice president" for certifying the voting results.
"The felony charges carry a total statutory maximum of 53 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The misdemeanor offenses carry a combined statutory maximum of one year of incarceration and potential financial penalties," the Register reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The news outlet noted, however, that defendants usually do not receive the maximum penalties.
Defense attorney Christopher Davis said that Jensen had been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and was a "confused man" during the riot.
"He believed [QAnon]," Davis said in the report. "He honestly believed it. … There's no other explanation for what he did that day."
Jensen's wife, April, cried as the jury read the verdict convicting her husband on all seven charges.
"In my personal opinion, I think Mr. Jensen had a lot of issues, had a lot of problems back when all this occurred," NBC News reported Davis saying following the verdict. "And it's just sad."
According to The AP, 880 people have been federally charged in the Jan. 6 riot, and about 400 have pleaded guilty, while eight have been convicted at trial, with sentences ranging up to 10 years in prison for a man who assaulted officers with a flagpole.