Iowa man who was one of the first Jan. 6 rioters to enter Capitol found guilty on 7 charges

A man from Iowa who was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection was found guilty on seven charges Friday, including five felonies. 

Doug Jensen was found guilty of all charges he faced, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including felony charges of assaulting, resisting or impeding a law enforcement officer; obstruction of an official proceeding; interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous weapon.

He was also found guilty of two misdemeanor charges. 

Jensen was arrested two days after the insurrection and pleaded not guilty to all counts, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. He was arrested in Des Moines. 

Jensen received national attention following the riot after a video that appears to show him leading a group of rioters up the stairs inside the Capitol went viral. The group seems to pursue Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. 

Jensen’s attorney, Christopher Davis, attempted to secure his release from jail in June 2021, with Jensen saying in a court filing that he “feels deceived, recognizing that he bought into a pack of lies.” Jensen said in the filing that he is a victim of conspiracy theories that were fed to him over the internet. 

He said that he came to the Capitol on Jan. 6 to support former President Trump and to show that he was a “true patriot.” 

Prosecutors said in a document charging Jensen that he intentionally placed himself as a leader of the mob. They said Jensen is a supporter of the QAnon conspiracy theory and wanted his shirt seen on video so “’Q’ could get the credit.’” 

USA Today reported that Jensen will be sentenced on Dec. 16.