Marine who participated in Capitol incident on Jan. 6 receives community service equivalent to Civil War Marine casualties.
A Marine Sentenced to Community Service for Capitol Building Entry
A judge has handed down an unusual sentence to a Marine who entered the Capitol building on January 6th. United States District Judge Ana Reyes sentenced the Marine, Dodge Hellonen, to 279 hours of community service, symbolizing one hour for each Marine casualty during the Civil War.
This is the first sentence delivered to one of the three active duty Marines who entered the U.S. Capitol. Hellonen was not accused of any violent conduct. Alongside his two fellow Marines, he entered the Capitol shortly after a breach occurred, spending around an hour walking around the building. During their time inside, Hellonen placed his “Make America Great Again” hat on a statue, which the group took pictures of.
A Troubling Incident Dishonoring the Memory of Fallen Marines
Judge Reyes described Hellonen’s conduct as “troubling” and expressed her belief that the incident dishonored the memory of the 279 Marines who lost their lives or were wounded during the Civil War, which ended 156 years prior to the Capitol riot.
During the sentencing, Reyes urged Hellonen to reflect on the reasons behind his actions and ensure that such events never occur again. She also highlighted that his conduct may have violated his oath to protect the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Hellonen, along with his comrades Micah Coomer and Joshua Abate, had previously pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, which is akin to trespassing. This offense carries a maximum punishment of six months in prison.
Expressing remorse, Hellonen told the judge, “I take full responsibility for my actions, and I’ll carry this with me for the rest of my life.”
While Coomer is set to be charged on Tuesday and Abate on Wednesday, prosecutors had requested 21 days of imprisonment for Hellonen and Abate, and 30 days for Coomer, in addition to 60 hours of community service for all three.
Judge Reyes, nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed to the D.C. District Court in February, holds the distinction of being the first Latina and openly LGBT person appointed to the court, as reported by Bloomberg.
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