A judge sentenced a Marine who entered the Capitol building on Jan. 6 to 279 hours of community service — one hour for each Marine casualty during the Civil War.
The unusual sentence, handed down by United States District Judge Ana Reyes, is the first delivered to one of three active duty Marines who entered the U.S. Capitol. Dodge Hellonen was not accused of any violent conduct. He and his two fellow Marines entered the Capitol following a breach seven minutes earlier, walked around the building for around an hour, and he placed his “Make America Great Again” hat on a statue, which the group took pictures of.
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Reyes described Hellonen’s conduct as “troubling” and suggested that the incident was dishonoring the memory of the 279 Marines who had been killed and wounded during the Civil War, which ended 156 years prior to the Capitol riot.
“I really urge you to think about why it happened so you can address it and ensure it never happens again,” Reyes said.
She also suggested that his conduct had violated his oath to protect the Constitution “against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Hellonen and his two comrades, Micah Coomer and Joshua Abate, pleaded guilty earlier this year to parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building, a misdemeanor akin to the charge of trespassing. It is punishable by up to six months in prison.
“I take full responsibility for my actions, and I’ll carry this with me for the rest of my life,” Hellonen told the judge on Monday.
Coomer is due to be charged on Tuesday, while Abate will be charged on Wednesday.
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Prosecutors had requested 21 days behind bars for Hellonen and Abate and 30 days for Coomer, along with 60 hours of community service for all three.
Reyes was nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed to the D.C. District Court in February. She is notable for being the first Latina and openly LGBT person appointed to the court, Bloomberg reported.
