‘F— The System-Time To Burn It All Down’: Man bent on ‘violent government dismantling’ gets prison time for storming U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 with knife

John Earl Sullivan filmed the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Background photos from federal court documents; Inset mug shot from Tooele County Sheriff

John Earl Sullivan filmed the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Background photos from federal court documents; Inset mug shot from Tooele County Sheriff’s Department via screenshot from WUSA/YouTube)

A Utah man authorities said advocated for a violent government dismantling was sentenced to six years in federal prison after he stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, with a knife and a megaphone.

John Earl Sullivan, 29, was sentenced to 72 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. He was convicted in November of charges of obstruction, trespassing with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct, and unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon.

Court documents outline the case, highlighting Sullivan’s moments online leading up to Jan. 6 when he joined in the Capitol riots wearing a ballistic vest, gas mask, and bullhorn. Authorities said Sullivan, a self-described activist, had one objective — to cause chaos and disrupt the status quo.

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