CCG – A 44-year-old Palmyra resident’s sentence to more than three years and seven months in federal prison is due to his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates sentenced 44-year-old Leo Brent Bozell IV to 45 months in prison, three months of supervised release, and $4,729 in restitution on Friday. On September 8, 2023, Bates found Bozell guilty of 10 offenses, four of which were felonies.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case,” officials stated in a release on Friday. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania provided valuable assistance.”
Federal prosecutors said they were requesting an 11-year prison term for Bozell and an enhancement for his terrorist penalty in a sentencing letter submitted on May 3.
Prosecutors stated in their sentencing letter that Bozell was involved in “as many pivotal breaches as there were rioters on January 6.” “He positioned himself at the forefront of the mob during pivotal moments of the attack as he actively and aggressively propelled the momentum of the mob from the Senate Wing Doors ― where he created entry points for hundreds of rioters — to the Senate Chamber, which he occupied rendering it impossible for Congress to meet.”
Ten counts total—including civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or obstructing officials, destroying government property, and aiding and abetting—were brought against Bozell, who was found guilty in September.
On January 6, 2021, Bozell went to the Ellipse to witness then-President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” demonstration before moving on to the Capitol grounds, per court records. Bozell was among the first group of rioters to enter the Capitol building, according to video that prosecutors were able to obtain. He arrived on the Capitol grounds just before 2:00 p.m.
“As rioters continued to assault officers, Bozell used a bike rack barrier as a ladder to climb part way up the balustrade and supply the violent rioters on the stairs with objects, including a long white pole,” officials stated in a release on Friday. “Around 1:48 p.m., at the base of the Northwest Stairs near the entrance of the scaffolding, rioters, Bozell included, surged forward and overran a police line.”
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By 2:12 p.m., authorities said, Bozell had joined rioters in chasing four lines of police officers and had then stepped over the overturned bike racks and dashed for the Senate Wing Door. They claimed that Bozell grabbed a large metal object from the ground while traveling.
“He used the heavy metal object and immediately started bashing the windowpane, striking it at least (10) times and shattering the glass,” they claimed. Bozell shifted his position a few feet to the wide window that faces the Senate Wing Door to the north. He hit that window with a bat at least eleven times, shattering the glass and scattering pieces across the floor.”
Bozell and the other rioters broke through the window and pursued Eugene Goodman, a Capitol Police officer, up the steps to the Ohio clock hallway, where additional cops were waiting. Prosecutors claim that as Bozell left the office of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he looked to be holding something.
Bozell was seen on camera shortly afterward on the Senate Chamber balcony as the cries “Treason! Treason!” were audible. He managed to get over railings and make his way to two CSPAN cameras while he was still in the Senate Gallery.
“Bozell pointed one camera at the ground, obstructing its recording ability, just as rioters made it to the Senate Floor,” officials stated. “Bozell made it to the Senate floor shortly after that and later left the Capitol Building at 3:07 p.m., having spent almost an hour inside.”
During the riot, Bozell, also going by Zeeker, was sporting a blue sweatshirt with the words “Hershey Christian Academy” printed across it and a red-and-white cap. In February 2021, he was taken into custody following a tip from the FBI based primarily on his sweatshirt.
William Shipley Jr., Bozell’s attorney, had requested a maximum sentence of three years in jail, arguing that Bozell had made “a bad error in judgment that day to move with the crowd towards the Capitol building.”
Shipley stated in a sentencing letter filed on May 3 that “Mr. Bozell does not deny his involvement in the events of January 6th.” “He does maintain, however, that his motivation for attending the rally was not to commit violence or destruction.”
The FBI’s Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices looked into Bozell’s case. The Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police offered assistance.
Over 1,424 people have been charged with offenses relating to the breach of the U.S. Capitol in virtually all 50 states in the 40 months since January 6. Among them are over 500 people who are accused of assaulting or obstructing law enforcement, which is a felony.
