Arkansas Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Offenses During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Press Release

WASHINGTON - An Arkansas man was sentenced today after he was previously convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Nathan Earl Hughes, 35, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols to 25 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Hughes previously pled guilty to two felony offenses, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Hughes also pled to the misdemeanor offense of impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings.

According to court documents and evidence presented during the sentencing hearing, on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., Hughes was present in the vicinity of an area known as the Lower West Terrace Tunnel for almost two hours. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. Hughes wore a custom black and camouflage print hat with a frayed brim, distinctive black Mechanix gloves, a gray hooded sweatshirt, and a black "Infowars" branded shirt with an image of a space shuttle and the words 'Space Force Est. 2020" written on it.

Court documents say that, at approximately 3:15 p.m., Hughes was at the mouth of the Tunnel and signaled the crowd of rioters, "C'mon! C'mon!" while waving his hand in the direction of the Tunnel. After signaling to the crowd, Hughes entered the Tunnel and charged toward the police line. Inside the Tunnel, Hughes continued to signal others to enter and confront the police line by pushing against the officers at the front of the line. Hughes then stood shoulder-to-shoulder with others and began to rock back and forth in a synchronized movement with the crowd. At about 3:18 p.m., Hughes called out to other officers to "grab" an officer's shield and then assisted the mob with forcefully removing police riot shields and passing them out of the Tunnel. Hughes also personally attempted to forcefully pull away police shields and pass them out of the Tunnel back to the other rioters.

At approximately 3:19 p.m., as Hughes was being forced out of the Tunnel by police, he grabbed a police officer's baton and tried to pull it from the officer's grip. Hughes then used his elbow to strike that police officer before striking the officer twice with his fist. The officer was then pulled from the tunnel and was accosted by the rioters on the Lower West Terrace. After he was pushed out of the Tunnel, Hughes remained in the vicinity of the Tunnel for at least 90 minutes. During this time, Hughes encouraged other rioters to "Pull the cops out!"

The FBI arrested Hughes on Aug. 30, 2023, in Arkansas.

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Arkansas.

This case was investigated by the FBI's Fayetteville Resident Agency and Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 47 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,572 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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Updated December 16, 2024