A federal jury deliberated for about four hours before convicting Douglas Jensen on charges of obstructing Congress from certifying the electoral college vote and assaulting or interfering with police officers during the siege of the Capitol.
Jensen was convicted on all counts, including disorderly conduct inside the Capitol while carrying a knife in his pocket.
During closing arguments in the trial, a prosecutor accused him of taking the lead in chasing Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman down a stairwell.
Jensen, a Des Moines construction worker, wore a T-shirt with a large “Q” expressing his adherence to the QAnon conspiracy theory.
One of the best-known images of the attempted coup captured him with his arms outstretched as he faced a line of police. “Go arrest the vice president,” Jensen told one of the officers, according to prosecutors.
QAnon centers on the belief that former President Trump is secretly fighting a cabal of “Deep State” enemies, prominent Democrats, and Satan-worshiping Hollywood elites.
Jensen believed in the conspiracy theory’s doomsday prophecy that “the storm” was approaching and would usher in mass arrests and executions of Trump’s enemies, including Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the Senate on January 6 when A joint session of Congress was called to certify Joe Biden’s electoral victory in 2020.
Before the riots, Trump and his allies spread the false idea that Pence could have overturned the election results.
After scaling the outer walls of the Capitol, Jensen climbed through a broken window to enter the building. Prosecutors said he learned from a friend’s text message that Pence was about to certify the election results. “That’s all about to change,” Jensen said.
Goodman was a key witness for prosecutors. Before running upstairs, he approached Jensen and the other assailants with his hand on his gun. Fearing for his life, he retreated upstairs and was met by other officers guarding the entrance to the Senate, where senators were being evacuated, according to prosecutors.
At least 880 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the unrest on Capitol Hill. Some 400 have pleaded guilty. Juries have convicted eight after trials. None of the defendants who had jury trials were acquitted of any charge.
The jury found him guilty on seven counts. Sentencing will be December 16.
