WASHINGTON, D.C. – Alan Hostetter, a former police chief from La Habra, California, and yoga instructor, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, a Ronald Reagan appointee, after a series of dramatic claims by Hostetter, including a contention that Ashli Babbitt, a known casualty of the event, is not dead.
Hostetter, 58, represented himself in the trial and was found guilty on four charges, including conspiring to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and disorderly conduct. His conviction follows a July bench trial, distinguishing him from his co-defendants in the Three Percenter “DC Brigade,” who were found guilty by a jury in November.
In a late November sentencing memo, prosecutors highlighted Hostetter’s explicit intent to breach the Capitol and challenge the electoral vote certification. His remarks from December 19, 2020, suggested plans to fill the city with “patriots” and pressure lawmakers to address his grievances with the election outcome.
On the day of the breach, Hostetter was armed with a hatchet and other weapons, participating in an attack aimed at disrupting the peaceful transfer of power in the United States government. The sentence marks a significant development in the ongoing legal repercussions from the Jan. 6 incident, reflecting the serious nature of the charges and the impact on the nation’s democratic processes.