Seffner man sentenced for his role in the January 6th Capitol riots

TAMPA, Fla. - A Seffner man has been sentenced for his role in the January 6th Capitol riots. 34-year-old Mitchell Todd Gardner of Seffner has finally learned his fate more than 2 years after the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Friday, a judge sentenced him to four years and seven months in federal prison on the felony charges of civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon.

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"When January 6th occurred, the United States government made it clear they would prosecute any and all individuals involved in what they believed to be a violent uprising or a riot, an attempt to overthrow the election results. And we see now two years later, arrests still being made. And it shows the government's kept their work to continue to locate, identify and prosecute individuals," attorney Anthony Rickman said.

According to court documents, during the riots Gardner shouted things, "drag them out," and "pull the cops out," "grab their hands and pull them out." At one point, officials say he used an officer's pepper spray device against other officers. The contents of it hit one officer directly in the face shield and splattered onto two other officers adding that it caused the officers to cough for an extended period and also burned their eyes.

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"It should send a message to people that the government is not done, that if you were violent towards law enforcement, and they can prove it, you are going to get prosecuted. And just because you haven't been prosecuted yet, it doesn't mean the government isn't going to come knocking on your door, arrest you and charge you in federal court," Rickman said.