U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson just sentenced former Marine/Army National Guardsman Mark Jefferson Leffingwell to SIX measly fucking months incarceration, 24 months supervision, and 200 hours of community service for his assault on not one but TWO Capitol Police officers at the Capitol Riot.
Seattle Times
“You punched the first officer and then you punched another officer who was trying to restrain you,” Jackson said. “More than one punch, more than one officer. It was wrong, it was unconscionable, and I think you know that.”
Still, Jackson took into account Leffingwell’s military service, family situation and no prior criminal record when formulating what she called “one of the most difficult” decisions she’s made when determining a sentence, which came in about 21 months less than what prosecutors had sought.
(snip)
As part of his sentence, Leffingwell must also pay $2,000 in restitution and serve 24 months of supervised probation and perform community service upon release. The judge’s sentence allows him to voluntarily surrender at a date to be determined for incarceration at the Federal Detention Center in Sea-Tac.
He is the 100th January 6th defendant to be sentenced...
The Seattle resident was one of the few insurrectionists arrested by Capitol Police inside the building on January 6th 2021, and his felony indictment by a grand jury came less than a week later...
Seattle Times
A federal grand jury has indicted a former member of the Washington National Guard on felony charges, alleging he broke into the U.S. Capitol with the insurrectionist mob last week and repeatedly punched a federal police officer.
Mark Jefferson Leffingwell, 51, of Seattle, was arrested last Wednesday inside the Capitol, and on Monday became one of the first people indicted after last week’s deadly siege by supporters of President Donald Trump intent on disrupting Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s election as president.
Leffingwell was charged in a criminal complaint last week with counts of assaulting a federal officer, entering or remaining in a restricted building and disorderly conduct. The indictment, handed up Monday, adds four additional charges, including a second assault count, violent entry into a Capitol building, being involved in an act of violence in a Capitol building, and felony civil disobedience, which carries a prison term of up to five years.
Leffingwell served in the Washington National Guard from 2005 to 2009 and deployed with the 81st Brigade to Iraq, a spokesperson for the Washington Military Department confirmed Tuesday. He was honorably discharged in 2009, she said.
Leffingwell was one of the first of these jackasses to realize he had seriously fucked up… He’s known it from day fucking one!
Law & Crime
One of many rioters charged with assaulting law enforcement during the U.S. Capitol insurrection, Mark Jefferson Leffingell‘s case stands out for being supported by an affidavit from the police officer he allegedly attacked. Leffingwell pleaded not guilty to seven charges through his defense attorney on Friday afternoon, even though court papers allege he apologized to the officer he struck.
“While there, I attempted to form a barrier with other officers to stop or deter additional individuals from entering the Capitol building,” Capitol Police Officer Daniel Amendola narrated in a two-page declaration. “In the course of this effort and while inside the Capitol building, I encountered an adult male who later identified himself to me as Mark Jefferson Leffingwell. Leffingwell attempted to push past me and other officers. When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist. I was struck in the helmet that I was wearing and in the chest. Working with other officers, I was able to gain control over Leffingwell, who attempted to struggle while being detained.”
Authorities say Leffingwell turned apologetic upon his transfer to U.S. Capitol Police custody.
“While in custody, but prior to being advised of his Miranda rights, Leffingwell spontaneously apologized for striking the officer,” the officer wrote. “When told that the officer who Leffingwell had struck was me, Leffingwell apologized to me for striking me.”
On October 26th he was allowed to plead guilty to just one felony assault charge...
Reuters
A former National Guard member who served in Iraq pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a felony charge of assaulting a U.S. Capitol police officer during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Mark Leffingwell, 52, of Seattle, was arrested on federal riot-related charges shortly after Jan. 6, but was released on bail after a brief period in detention.
Leffingwell pleaded guilty to attacking Capitol Police officer Daniel Amendola during the assault on the U.S. seat of government, although he said at Tuesday's hearing before U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson that he pushed two police officers after they pushed him and then pushed one of them again.
Defense lawyer Mark Carroll confirmed to the court that Leffingwell pushed two policemen during the riot and "he shouldn't have done it."
Leffingwell told the court: "I shouldn't have gone in (to the Capitol) . ... I was not trying to attack."
Jackson said the charge to which Leffingwell pleaded guilty carried a prison term of up to eight years and a fine of up to $250,000. But the judge said federal sentencing guidelines recommended Leffingwell serve a prison term of 24 to 30 months and pay a fine of between $10,000 and $95,000.
Yeah, that’s not happening….
My only consolation is that for a Marine, the loss of one’s honor is pretty fucking bad... Still, I’m pissed!
Law & Crime 1/26/22
Prosecutors are asking that a man who repeatedly punched police officers guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 be sentenced to more than two years behind bars.
(snip)
“Leffingwell, a military veteran who once defended the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, willingly betrayed his nation and became an enemy of the United States on January 6,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memorandum filed Wednesday.
(snip)
Prosecutors acknowledged Leffingwell’s lack of criminal history and relatively early admission of guilt as mitigating factors, but said that his military background, which would normally factor in his favor at sentencing, is actually a significant concern in this case:
“Leffingwell’s actions on January 6 were fundamentality antithetical to his military career, where he served first as a Marine and then as a National Guardsman, where he was wounded on duty. More than the average citizen, Leffingwell knew that allegiance to the United States of America takes precedent over allegiance to any political party or any one person. When he donned his military uniforms with American flag patches in hostile territory, he used the training he had received to serve as a defender of the whole United States, not just of people belonging to one ideology or who just aligned with his way of thinking. To assault the United States Capitol, a beacon of democracy for all Americans, is a shameful dereliction of duty to the country he has served.”
I think what bugs me the most about this weak ass sentence (I’ve been stewing for hours...) is that Leffingwell might never even see the inside of a cell… He’s certainly not going to see the inside of a federal prison. He might spend some time in some county jail, or (and this is not unlikely) he might end up in a halfway house meant for federal prisoners near the end of their sentence… Which means he might never even lose one goddamned fucking dime of his military benefits...