BREAKING: Actor Jay Johnston sentenced to 1 year and 1 day in prison over J6 federal charge

Actor Jay Johnston, best known for his roles in Bob’s Burgers, Anchorman, and Arrested Development, has been sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison over his involvement in January 6.

Johnston was arrested in June 2023 and pleaded guilty over the summer to a felony count of obstructing officers. Federal prosecutors had sought an 18-month sentence, NBC News reported, noting a photo of Johnston dressed as Jacob Chansley at a Halloween party he attended a few years after the day.

Prosecutors said that Johnston spent around 10 minutes in the lower west tunnel that leads into the Capitol on January 6. Prosecutors wrote, "During that time, he: (1) helped at least four other rioters wash their eyes out after being sprayed with OC spray; (2) used a stolen United States Capitol Police riot shield to make a 'shield wall' against the police inside the tunnel; and (3) participated in ‘heave-ho’ push that pinned and crushed MPD Officer Daniel Hodges against a door frame."

Johnston "sent messages to friends and family in the days after January 6th claiming the events at the U.S. Capitol were exaggerated by the media and that it was a 'setup' by the police and Antifa," prosecutors wrote.
 

Stanley Woodward, Johnston’s lawyer, wrote in a sentencing memo that his client had "found great success in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and producer including accolades for his role as the voice actor for Jimmy Pesto, Sr. in the animated series Bob’s Burgers and as Officer Taylor in Arrested Development" but has since "not been able to sustain his livelihood as an actor after his involvement at the Capitol on January 6, 2021" and has "essentially been blacklisted by Hollywood."

Johnston "has worked as a handyman for the last two years – an obvious far cry from his actual expertise and livelihood in film and television," Woodward wrote.

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