A Georgia resident who assaulted an officer and occupied former Vice President Mike Pence’s chair during the Capitol incursion on January 6, 2021 has been sentenced to one year in prison.
Bruno Joseph Cua, who was 18 at the time of the riot, was sentenced to one year and a day, followed by three years of supervised release.
This sentence was significantly shorter than the sentence requested by federal prosecutors, as indicated in a May sentencing memo.
Cua, now 21 years old, was found guilty of two felony charges, which include obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting, interfering with, intimidating, opposing, or impeding officers.
According to federal prosecutors, Cua was the sixth youngest individual charged in the Capitol attack.
While acknowledging that Cua was among the youngest charged, federal prosecutors emphasized that he was not a child on January 6, highlighting that individuals who reach the age of 18 are entrusted with significant responsibilities and duties.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia alleged that Cua participated in the rally at the Washington Monument alongside his parents before heading towards the Capitol, where he eventually separated from them. He climbed the Capitol’s scaffolding and entered the third floor of the building.
Despite alarms blaring and Capitol police in the vicinity, Cua proceeded down the hallway with a baton, shouting, “This is what happens when you piss off patriots,” and, “Where are the swamp rats hiding?”
During the incident, Cua encountered Capitol Police trying to secure the doors to the Senate Gallery. He pushed an officer, leading the officers to retreat from the doors without locking them, according to the prosecutors.
“Cua played a unique and prominent role on January 6, opening the Senate Chamber to rioters, escalating confrontations, and leading other rioters into and through the Capitol,” prosecutors said in the memo.
Moreover, the investigation revealed that Cua made multiple social media posts advocating for the use of violence as a means to prevent the certification of the electoral vote, as stated in the sentencing memo.
He asserted that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and explicitly expressed a lack of faith in the effectiveness of peaceful protest, deeming violence as essential.
Prosecutors reported that Cua publicly acknowledged his involvement in the riot on social media and discussed the use of violence during the incident, even suggesting that additional violence might be necessary in the future.
Prior to his sentencing, Cua offered an apology for his actions on January 6 and expressed shame regarding his role, according to The Associated Press.
“Everything that day was just one terrible decision after another,” he stated.
