A Trump supporter who pleaded guilty to federal charges of plotting to firebomb California’s state Democratic Party headquarters in the aftermath of the 2020 election was sentenced to nine years in prison, The Sacramento Bee reports.
Ian Benjamin Rogers, 46, was among two men who pleaded guilty in connection with the plot, the report said. The other is 39-year-old Jarrod Copeland, whose sentencing was delayed after his attorney requested the courtroom’s closure amid concerns for his client’s safety.
Prosecutors alleged that Rogers and Copeland planned to attack the John L. Burton Democratic Party headquarters in Sacramento in retaliation for their belief in baseless claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Authorities seized a weapons cache that included bombs and machine guns, the report said.
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The two men hoped their plot would trigger a “movement” that would inspire others to act, the report said.
Rogers expressed remorse for his crime, according to the report, attributing his behavior to COVID-19 lockdowns that worsened his drinking problem and damaged his auto repair business, the report said.
He told Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer “I said a lot of stupid and silly things,” according to the report.
“I never seriously meant them in any way. ... I just want everybody to know how sorry I am.”
