DOJ seeks 14 years in prison for Jan. 6 rioter who called Trump 'dad'

Federal prosecutors are seeking 14 years for a Jan. 6 rioter who looked at Donald Trump as a "father figure," NBC News reported.

Daniel "D.J. " Rodriquez previously pleaded guilty charges that he fought police during the Capitol riot and used a taser on former D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Mike Fanone before storming the Capitol building. In addition to the 14 years, prosecutors want him to pay restitution in the amount of $98,927.

Rodriquez's defense argued that he "struggled to find a place where he felt he truly belonged" and "found a cause that gave his life meaning" when he joined the "Make America Great Again" movement in California.

Rodriguez saw Trump as "the father figure and leader Mr. Rodriguez never had in his life," his attorneys argued, adding that he "trusted Trump blindly and admired Trump so much" that he referred to Trump as "dad" in social media messages.

"It was Mr. Rodriguez’s unwavering belief in the words of the former president that drove him to lose all sense of right and wrong and led him to take part in the tragic actions that unfolded in Washington, D.C. on January 6th," Rodriguez's lawyer wrote, seeking a sentence of a little more than five years in federal prison.

He is due to be sentenced on June 21.

Rodriguez wrote a letter of apology to Fanone, saying, "I wish I was smarter."

"I want to apologize to your children as well. If I could go back and change what I did, I would. I hope it makes you feel better that I am going through a very tough time in jail," he wrote to the former officer.