Florida man who carried Pelosi’s lectern during Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection pleads guilty

By Edward Era Barbacena

The white man from Florida who was caught on camera stealing the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the Jan. 6 riot at the US Capitol pleaded guilty to a lesser charge on Monday.

Adam Johnson, 36, admitted to one count of entering or remaining in any restricted building in Washington, DC, federal court, according to records.

Sentencing guidelines in Johnson’s plea agreement call for him to receive up to six months in prison, but a federal judge will make the final determination at a hearing scheduled for Feb. 25.

The deal also recommends Johnson be ordered to pay $500 in restitution for his share of the damage that occurred when a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump descended on the US Capitol and interrupted the congressional electoral vote count.

Adam Johnson mugshot 

As part of the agreement, two other charges against Johnson — theft of government property and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds — were dismissed.

Pelosi’s office was among those breached amid the violence that caused about $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol. 

A photo showed Johnson — grinning, waving and wearing a knit cap that said “Trump” — carrying the lectern through the Capitol Rotunda. The words “Seal of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives” were clearly visible. 

A second photo showed Johnson posing with a sign in the Capitol that read “Closed to all tours.”

Johnson was arrested on Jan. 8 after he was identified by acquaintances through social media, according to the FBI.

During Monday’s hearing, Johnson told Senior US District Judge Reggie Walton that he got “caught up in the moment.”

The lectern, worth about $1,000, was later found undamaged in a Senate hallway.