New Jersey electrician sentenced to 12 years in prison on January 6

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday sentenced a former New Jersey electrician to 12 years in prison for assaulting at least a half-dozen officers during the Capitol riot.

Christopher Joseph Quaglin, 38, of North Brunswick, was convicted last July of 14 charges, including 12 felonies, during a bench trial. The charges include six counts of assaulting police officers, two counts of robbery and one count of obstructing an official proceeding.

Federal prosecutors have sought 14 years in prison for Quaglin – describing him as one of the most violent members of the Jan. 6 mob. In a sentencing memo, they said he was part of the first breach of the bike rack barricades and was there for more than three hours. “wreaking havoc” on the west side of the U.S. Capitol.

“On at least a dozen occasions, Quaglin came face to face with police officers as he yelled at them, pushed them with outstretched arms, hit them, punched them, and slapped them; pushed bike racks at officers; and even choked a police officer to the ground,” prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors said Quaglin also sprayed several officers with a chemical irritant, including spraying directly in the face of at least one officer who was not wearing a gas mask or face shield.

Prosecutors also highlighted Quaglin's preparation for Jan. 6. Weeks before, they said, he had discussed with others his plans to wear a bulletproof vest and a gas mask and the possibility of carrying weapons, including knives and bear spray. Quaglin also wrote that he was “looking forward to a war” and, according to prosecutors, encouraged others on social media to “take up arms and storm the capital.”

Quaglin marched to the Capitol with members of the Proud Boys and recorded himself en route shouting, “Proud of your boy!” – one of the group’s slogans. In court filings, prosecutors described Quaglin as a “self-described” member of the group.

Quaglin had been represented by several lawyers throughout his case. His latest, Kristi Fulnecky, asked for time served for the roughly three years Quaglin has spent in pretrial detention since his arrest in April 2021. In court Friday, Fulnecky highlighted his repeated complaints about his treatment at multiple prisons and told U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden that Quaglin and the other Jan. 6 defendants were “political prisoners.”

“He’s a patriot and supports the police,” she said.

McFadden, a former deputy attorney general who was appointed to the federal bench in 2017 by former President Donald Trump, said Quaglin has shown no remorse in the three years since his arrest. He also repeatedly chastised Quaglin for his “shocking and law-breaking” conduct on Jan. 6, saying he was the most violent and egregious of the nine co-defendants in his case.

“I convicted a number of defendants on January 6 who clearly found themselves embroiled in something they did not anticipate,” McFadden said. “But not you.”

McFadden said it was clear from the video that Quaglin spent hours on the west side of the Capitol looking for opportunities to attack officers. While he did so, Quaglin wore an American flag-patterned MAGA hoodie, which McFadden described as a “scandal” and a “disgrace.”

“You are a threat to our society,” the judge said.

McFadden ordered Quaglin to serve 144 months, or 12 years, in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. He will also have to pay $2,000 in restitution.

Before his sentencing, Quaglin, who was defiant throughout his trial, accused McFadden and the government in a charged speech of conspiring to collusion to “torture” him. As he was led out of the courtroom after the sentencing, Quaglin sought to say one last word.

“You are Trump’s worst mistake of 2016,” Qauglin said.

Quaglin will receive credit for approximately three years already served on remand. His attorney did not recommend placement in a specific Bureau of Prisons facility.