Richard Barnett (Capitol rioter)

Richard Morris "Bigo" Barnett (born May 1960) is an American convicted felon who took part in the United States Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. A photograph of Barnett with his feet on a desk in Nancy Pelosi’s office in the Capitol building became one of the most prominent images of the January 6 attack.

In 2023, he was convicted of eight crimes, including four felonies. He was sentenced to 54 months of incarceration on May 24, 2023.

Career and activism 
Barnett described himself as a retired Memphis firefighter although Memphis Fire Services were unable to verify the statement. His lawyer described him as a window salesman.

Barnett has described himself as the co-founder of the 2A NWA STAND, pro-second amendment rights group. In September 2020, Barnett was questioned by Fayetteville police who were called in connection with Barnett open-carrying weapons.

January 6 United States Capitol attack 
On January 6, 2021, Barnett put his feet on a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, after trespassing into the U.S. Capitol armed with a stun gun. Barnett also wrote a note for Pelosi and left it on her desk. The note read:"Hey Nancy, Bigo was here bi-otch."
After the attack, Barnett boasted about his actions online, including stealing an envelope. He spent six minutes in the building.

On January 8, 2021, Barnett was arrested. He was indicted on January 29 of four misdemeanor and four felony charges: disorderly conduct; "obstruction of an official proceeding; aiding and abetting; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon; parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building; and theft of government property." On February 4, 2021, Barnett pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Trial and incarceration
Judge Christopher "Casey" Cooper allowed Barnett to be released from jail on April 27, 2021, warning him that it was a test, and noting Barnett's "outlandish behavior and attempts to avoid detection after the riot, brandishing of guns in public, taking a stun gun into the Capitol and his possible adherence to some QAnon conspiracy theories".

His Washington, D.C. criminal trial was one of the highest profile prosecutions of a January 6 rioter. Barnett was represented in court by Joseph D. McBride, an attorney known for his defense of the January 6 Capitol rioters.

After approximately two hours of jury deliberation, Barnett was found guilty of all charges in January 2023, including civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding. On May 24, 2023, he was sentenced to 54 months in prison.  At the sentencing prosecution brought up Barnett's attempt to profit from his crimes by selling autographed photos of himself in Pelosi's office, and the fact that several Capitol staffers left public service due to trauma caused by the riot.  After release he will be subject to 36 months supervised release and a $2,000 fine.

Following sentencing Barnett requested that he be placed at Federal Prison Camp, Yankton in Yankton, South Dakota and that he be allowed wait until August 22 to self-report to prison. He was allowed to self-report, but all his other requests were denied.  He stated he plans to appeal the conviction.

As of September 1, 2023, the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator page shows Richard Barnett, age 63, is incarcerated at FCI Oakdale, a low security 835-inmate federal correctional institution located in Oakdale, Louisiana. The Bureau of Prisons inmate entry for Barnett shows: "Release Date: 02/12/2027."

Personal life 
Barnett was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time of the Capitol attack, he was aged 60 and lived in Gravette, Arkansas.

See also 
 Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
 Kevin James Lyons

References

External links 
 Richard Barnett - Twitter
 Richard Barnett  - official website

21st-century American firefighters
People from Gravette, Arkansas
People from Memphis, Tennessee
Convicted participants in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
21st-century American criminals
Criminals from Arkansas
Criminals from Tennessee
American male criminals
American people convicted of theft
Living people
1960 births