An El Paso man was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for assaulting a police officer and other crimes committed when he participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot by President Donald Trump supporters seeking to halt the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
David Rene Arredondo, 48, was sentenced Thursday, Aug. 8, to a maximum of two years and nine months in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to eight federal charges in connection with the Capitol riot. He is the only El Pasoan arrested in connection with the insurrection.
Arredondo was present in the courtroom during the sentencing hearing. He remains free on a personal recognizance bond and is “permitted to self-surrender” to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, federal court records state. No information has been released on when Arredondo must turn himself over to prison officials to begin his term or where he will serve his prison sentence.
Arredondo’s attorneys, federal public defenders Andrew Steed and John Phillip Calhoun, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The sentence closely matches what federal prosecutors had requested. They found that Arredondo actively participated in the riot, including assaulting a Capitol police officer.
The sentencing hearing was held before U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia handled the case against Arredondo.
Arredondo pleaded guilty to eight federal charges Jan. 3 as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. The charges he pleaded guilty and the sentences he received on each count are:
- Civil disorder; 2 years and 9 months in federal prison
- Assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; 2 years and 9 months in federal prison
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; 1 year in federal prison
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; 1 year in federal prison
- Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; 1 year in federal prison
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; 6 months in federal prison
- Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings; 6 months in federal prison
- Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building; 6 months in federal prison
More:El Paso man pleads guilty to assaulting police in Jan. 6 Capitol riot
The sentences will be served concurrently, federal court records show. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release after he serves his prison term. There is no parole in the federal criminal justice system. He was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution.
He was originally set to be sentenced May 3, but the hearing was postponed for the submission of a new probation report, court records show.
U.S. Attorney’s Office officials touted Arredondo’s sentencing as a success in their continuing efforts to bring those who participated in the riot to justice.
“In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony,” officials said in a news release.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI are continuing to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. Anyone with information on any riot participants is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-225-5324 or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.
Prosecutors sought 3 years in prison, defense asked for lenient sentence
As part of a plea agreement, federal prosecutors asked Judge Lamberth to sentence Arredondo to three years and four months in federal prison, a sentencing memorandum filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia states.
“Arredondo actively participated in and furthered the civil disorder by assaulting police and removing physical barriers that stood in the way of rioters,” federal prosecutors said in the sentencing memorandum.
Arredondo’s attorneys asked for their client to be sentenced to a maximum of 180 days in federal prison, which they claim is the average sentence for those previously convicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, the attorneys wrote in a defendant’s memorandum.
They added even though Arredondo had an extensive criminal history when he was younger. He changed his life around until his arrest in connection with the riot. The attorneys claimed Arredondo had a “difficult upbringing” and was raised in a neighborhood that was “rife with gang violence.”
Arredondo’s attorneys also claimed the riot was “incited by political leaders who stayed above the fray while pushing regular citizens to storm the Capitol. These leaders used fear to incite people and Mr. Arredondo understands fear in a way many people are privileged not to.”
Arredondo stormed Capitol, assaulted police officer in Jan. 6, 2021 riot
Arredondo was arrested in connection with the Capitol riot nearly two years later as part of an FBI investigation into suspects seen illegally entering the Capitol building, assaulting police officers and damaging government property.
Arredondo traveled from El Paso to Washington D.C. on Jan. 4, 2021. He is seen in surveillance videos on Jan. 6 being around the Capitol building wearing a red Trump “Make America Great Again” cap, sunglasses and a gaiter, a complaint affidavit states.
He pushed a bike rack fence against police officers trying to keep the mob from entering a plaza outside the Capitol, U.S. Attorney’s Office officials said. Videos obtained by law enforcement showed Arredondo “making physical contact with a police officer trying to stop rioters from entering the Capitol doors,” the affidavit states.
He is seen grabbing the arm of a police officer who was surrounded by a mob of rioters. Another police officer in the Capitol building is seen in the video being pulled away by the mob and falling to the ground. Arredondo is “seen grabbing the arm of the other police officer who is trying to keep a door to the Capitol shut, and attempting to pull the officer away from the door in an apparent effort to facilitate the entry of other rioters into the Capitol,” the affidavit states.
More:US Rep. Veronica Escobar reflects on Jan. 6 insurrection at US Capitol one year later
Capitol surveillance footage and other videos show Arredondo inside the Capitol for under 40 minutes, the affidavit states. Arredondo and other rioters chanted as they walked around the Capitol, the sentencing memorandum states.
Arredondo was arrested by FBI El Paso agents Oct. 26, 2022, in connection with the riot at his home in the 1200 block of Morgan Marie Street near Rojas Drive and Joe Battle Boulevard in far East El Paso.
He was later released from the El Paso County Jail pending the outcome of the case on a $10,000 bond secured by a $1,000 cash deposit, court documents show.
Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
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