A member of the Proud Boys who egged on the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and bragged that they “had the cops running” was sentenced to over four years in prison Friday, prosecutors said.
William Chrestman, 51, of Olathe, Kansas, was sentenced to four years and seven months in prison, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., said in a statement.
He pleaded guilty in October to obstruction of an official proceeding and threatening a federal officer.
Chrestman was a member of the Proud Boys’ Kansas City, Missouri, chapter, and during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol he encouraged a crowd entering the building by shouting, “Go! Go! Go!” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement.
Chrestman later bragged that “we had the cops running” and that as officials tried to shut security doors “we were throwing ... chairs under there to block it dude,” prosecutors said.
He said the officers were "legitimately scared" for their lives, the U.S. attorney’s office said in Friday’s statement.
He also threatened police trying to keep rioters out of the building and waved an ax handle, which he later used to prop open a door to allow the crowd to enter, prosecutors said.
Chrestman has already been incarcerated for around 35 months, meaning he'll have approximately 20 more months to serve minus good behavior, his attorney, Michael Cronkright, said in an email Friday evening.
Cronkright wrote in court documents in advance of sentencing that Chrestman is a former Army medic and a loving father who is remorseful for his actions and who is experiencing personal turmoil over the pain he caused his family.
"My expectations for him in the future are high and I have not doubt that he will do well once he returns to his family," Cronkright said Friday.
Prosecutors argued that Chrestman came prepared for violence, expressing disappointment he couldn’t bring a gun, and that he came with a helmet marked with orange tape so other Proud Boys would recognize him.
