On April 7, 2021, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich sentenced Federico Klein, a former Donald Trump political appointee, to nearly six years in prison for assaulting four police officers during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
Klein, 42, pleaded guilty in March to assaulting officers with a stolen riot shield, attempting to impede communications during the attack, and entering and remaining in a restricted area.
Klein was a State Department employee in the Office of Brazilian and Southern Cone Affairs and held the title of assistant administrator during the Trump presidency. His job included ensuring the department had “the highest degree of integrity in its aspects of policies, protocols, and regulations related to the security of its personnel.”
Judge Friedrich said Klein’s “despicable” actions on Jan. 6 had caused officers to suffer physical and emotional harm. Statements from the officers detailed how the attack had damaged their spirit and that of their colleagues.
Klein told the court he was sorry for his actions and accepted responsibility for them. He will be sentenced to a prison term of 70 months and will be supervised for three years after his release.