A man running for the seat previously held by former Rep. George Santos (R.N.Y.) is facing a federal judge's decision to immediately send him to prison for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. He scoffed at the decision.
Philip Sean Grillo, who was sentenced to 12 months in prison on Friday, said in court that President-elect Trump is likely to pardon him.
“Trump is going to forgive me anyway,” Grillo, a New York district leader from Queens, said while being detained by federal marshals.
In 2023, Grillo was found guilty. He was charged with a felony count of obstructing official business, along with a series of misdemeanor charges. After the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of government interference laws this summer, Mr. Grillo motion for not guilty On that point.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who handled the case, sentenced Grillo on the remaining misdemeanor charges Friday.
“I perform the duties required by my oath, and the president fulfills his duties. It's that simple,” the judge said. said.
Grillo has declared his candidacy for Santos' seat in 2023. But despite his interest in politics, Lamberth argued that at this point defendants should be prosecuted regardless of their “political affiliation or other attributes.”
“Having read dozens of indictments related to January 6th, I can say with confidence that no one has been charged with activities protected by the First Amendment. No one is being held hostage. No one is held prisoner of conscience. Every mobster is in the same situation as himself. He or she is in custody because he or she has broken the law. There's no reason why,” Lamberth said.
More than 1,500 rioters have been charged in connection with the storming of the Capitol.
