A photo that authorities said shows Edwards in the Capitol.
A Lower Bucks County man who entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol was sentenced this week.
Gary Edwards, 68, of Northampton Township’s Churchville section, came before U.S. District Judge James Boasberg Monday. He was sentenced to one year of federal probation, 200 hours of community service, $500 in restitution, and a $2,500 fine.
Edwards pleaded guilty in September to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol building.
Edwards was charged by law enforcement earlier this year after someone tipped off the FBI that the man’s wife posted her husband had entered the Capitol during the mayhem.
“Okay ladies let me tell you what happened as my husband was there inside the Capitol Rotunda. There was a small group of young men dressed in military garb who yelled ‘we r going in!’ They broke the barricade down, ran up the steps, broke a window and climbed in. They broke some furniture. Then proceeded to storm the floors. The crowd followed to stand on the balconies,” she allegedly wrote.
Edward’s wife posted to Facebook that her husband walked right into the Capitol and even chatted with police after teargas was fired. She defended the attack by noting people were upset over the outcome of the 2020 election, according to federal authorities.
Edwards told the judge Monday he had no business going into the Capitol with attackers and should not have entered a senator’s office. He admitted he now knows he was committing a crime.
Edwards told the judge he was “ashamed” of having to be in court for the crime. He added his actions that came after taking a bus with his ministry from Newtown to the nation’s Capital City to show support for then-President Donald Trump have negatively impacted his family.
The Bucks County man joined the rioters and attackers after eating lunch following Trump’s nearby speech, which Edwards had trouble hearing. He entered the Capitol with others – “I followed them” – and walked past broken windows and alarms that were going off.
Prosecutors, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, had footage of Edwards wearing a “Make America Great Again” knit hat and him flushing tear gas from a man’s eyes.
Boasberg stated he believed Edwards’ case did not require jail time. However, the judge said the attack struck at the “root of the democracy.”
Edwards said those who engaged in most serious offenses during the attack should be punished.
His wife, Lynn Edwards, admitted in court to making the social media post. She said she had been watching the OANN cable TV channel known for airing fake stories and conspiracies about the 2020 election on January 6.
Since the attack, the couple have watched a documentary that showed the extent of the Jan. 6 attack, Lynn Edwards said.
See also:
Three Bucks Countians Plead Guilty to Actions During Capitol Riot
Wife’s Facebook Posts Helped FBI Nab Bucks County Man On Capitol Riot-Related Charges
Lawyer For Bucks Co. Man Accused Of Capitol Riot Assault Claims He Was Beaten By Prison Staff
Bucks County Woman Charged As Part Of Capitol Riot Investigation
Federal Agents Take Accused Montco Terrorist Into Custody, New Charges To Be Unsealed Friday
