The son of a well-known conservative activist was sentenced on Friday to almost four years in prison for what prosecutors described as his persistent attack on the U.S. Capitol. He broke a window, pursued a police officer, and entered the Senate chamber during the January 6, 2021, riot.
Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol and reach the Senate floor.
Bozell’s father, L. Brent Bozell III, established the Media Research Center, the Parents Television Council, and other conservative media groups.
Before U.S. District Judge John Bates sentenced him to three years and nine months in prison, Bozell turned to apologize to two Capitol police officers in the courtroom gallery. He also expressed remorse to his parents and wife, acknowledging that his actions have forever stained his family’s reputation.
“I don’t recognize that person in the videos,” he said. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Judge Bates remarked that storming the Capitol was not a spontaneous decision for Bozell. The judge noted that Bozell had planned to go to the Capitol on January 6 and had expected violence that day.
Migrants (Jimmy Baker/Getty Images)
“You had many opportunities to stop what you were doing,” the judge told him.
Prosecutors had recommended a prison term of 11 years and eight months for Bozell. They said he participated in persistent and sustained attacks on law enforcement, leading or joining other rioters in breaching police lines at various locations inside and outside the Capitol.
“Few rioters on January 6 were involved in as many significant breaches as Bozell,” prosecutors wrote.
The judge allowed Bozell to remain free until he is required to report to prison on a date to be determined. Bozell thanked the judge after learning his sentence.
