By Jan Wolfe

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A federal judge will sentence a man on Wednesday who pleaded guilty in a felony case after throwing items at officers during the attack on January 6, 2021 on the U.S. Capitol.

U.S.prosecutors want Nicholas Languerand sentenced to four years and three weeks in prison. It would be the longest possible sentence for any defendant involved in the attack.

Languerand will be sentenced before U.S. District Judge John Bates at 2 p.m. ET (1900 GMT). Languerand is currently in jail in South Carolina after his April arrest. Authorities say he was still living in Vermont when the riot occurred.

In November, he pleaded guilty to one charge of attacking law enforcement with dangerous weapons. He was charged with throwing items, including an orange road barrier, at police officers and with taking officer’s riot protection. The defendant was 26 when he entered guilty plea.

Bates is being asked by the Justice Department to follow Languerand’s lead. He cited Instagram photos from the incident in which he stated that “violence may not always be the solution but it is possible in the face of tyranny violence”.

Languerand was proposed by his defense lawyer to be sentenced to “one year and one day” with credit for time spent in prison since April 15, 2021. Languerand is said have shown that they are willing and capable of following the law and keeping their jobs, even when faced with hardship and trauma.

In an attempt to block Congress from recertifying President Joe Biden’s win over Trump in 2020, a group of Trump supporters attacked the attackers.

Over 725 individuals have been arrested, and more than 160 have pleaded guilty to various federal charges. For assaulting officers in Florida, the longest sentencing was 5 years and 1 month.

According to Justice Department, approximately 140 officers of police were attacked during the riot.