Former Montgomery County police officer Justin Lee was sentenced Friday to 18 months in prison after being convicted of hurling a smoke bomb during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Lee, 25, of Rockville was also fined $7,500 by U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, according to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington.
According to evidence presented during the two-day trial, Lee was among a crowd of rioters attempting to force their way into a part of the Capitol known as “the tunnel,” the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement.
The rioters’ path was blocked by officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Lee, who was standing on a stairway at the time, was observed “throwing a smoking and sparking object” at the police line and shining a flashlight in that direction, according to the news release.
The device produced a billowing cloud of smoke, and other rioters used the confusion to try to push past the officers.
He was later identified in part by the distinctive gaiter-styled face and neck covering he wore, which had a design of the Maryland flag, the release said.
Lee joined the Montgomery County Police Department a year after the attack. He was arrested by the FBI on Oct. 29, 2023.
He was fired after being convicted Aug. 23 of two felonies and three misdemeanors following a two-day bench trial.
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