Yet another one bites the dust..this guy is being sentenced on illegal gun charges--his sentencing for his Jan. 6 actions is pending:
A former Navy reservist who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison on firearms charges.
The sentence U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff imposed for Hatchet Speed in federal court in Alexandria was just five months less than the term sought by federal prosecutors and much longer than the one-year term sought by Speed's lawyers.
Speed, 41, of McLean, is a military veteran who held top-secret clearances while working for a defense contractor.
The gun charges against him in Virginia are separate from charges brought in Washington, D.C., for obstructing an official proceeding, the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying the Electoral College vote. He will sentenced on those charges next month; sentencing guidelines in that case call for a term of nearly five to six years.
Speed's lawyers asked the judge not to be prejudiced against him because of his inflammatory views. In conversations with an FBI undercover employee in 2022, Speed expressed admiration not only for Hitler but also for Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In recorded conversations, Speed also made antisemitic comments and proposed targeting Jewish people with acts of violence. He also collected neo-Nazi memorabilia.
But Nachmanoff said Speed's admiration for despicable historical figures and his views on advocating violence to achieve his objectives demonstrate the danger he poses to the public.
“The defendant's statements of admiration for Adolf Hitler, Eric Rudolph and Ted Kaczynski ... and his belief that such activities could be justified are all highly relevant,” Nachmanoff said.
A former Navy reservist who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and expressed admiration for Adolf Hitler was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison on firearms charges.
The sentence U.S. District Judge Michael Nachmanoff imposed for Hatchet Speed in federal court in Alexandria was just five months less than the term sought by federal prosecutors and much longer than the one-year term sought by Speed's lawyers.
Speed, 41, of McLean, is a military veteran who held top-secret clearances while working for a defense contractor.
The gun charges against him in Virginia are separate from charges brought in Washington, D.C., for obstructing an official proceeding, the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress for certifying the Electoral College vote. He will sentenced on those charges next month; sentencing guidelines in that case call for a term of nearly five to six years.
Speed's lawyers asked the judge not to be prejudiced against him because of his inflammatory views. In conversations with an FBI undercover employee in 2022, Speed expressed admiration not only for Hitler but also for Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph and Unabomber Ted Kaczynski.
In recorded conversations, Speed also made antisemitic comments and proposed targeting Jewish people with acts of violence. He also collected neo-Nazi memorabilia.
But Nachmanoff said Speed's admiration for despicable historical figures and his views on advocating violence to achieve his objectives demonstrate the danger he poses to the public.
“The defendant's statements of admiration for Adolf Hitler, Eric Rudolph and Ted Kaczynski ... and his belief that such activities could be justified are all highly relevant,” Nachmanoff said.
