Yesterday (July 26), D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan delivered one of the harshest sentences yet for anyone involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riots. Mark Ponder, a Black man, was sentenced to over five years in prison for his role as an insurrectionist. In April, Ponder pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement officials and has been held without bond since March 2021, according to CNN.
The 56-year-old Trump supporter was captured on video repeatedly striking an officer with a red, white and blue pole. Sgt. Aquilino Gonell is a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was beaten by Ponder. “He didn’t care whether I was a police officer or not. He didn’t care [if] I had a family or not,” Gonell testified yesterday. “Please do not fall for his plea because that day he didn’t care about me,” the officer said to the judge. Just before informing the court of the sentence, Chutkan said Ponder “wasn’t defending himself or anyone else; he was trying to injure those officers.”
According to reports, the U.S. Justice Department recommended Ponder receive 60 months in prison for his crimes. Chutkan’s sentence added several months to that. Social media users quickly discussed how Ponder, a Black man, received one of the longest sentences for the Capitol Riots. “So out of 850 [Jan. 6] defendants so far, the one with the longest sentence is Mark Ponder, the only Black guy? Seriously? [Eight hundred and fourty-nine] white folks looking at more lenient charges than the one Black guy? That’s just, wow,” a tweet said. Another user added, “It was on this day, Mark Ponder realized he’s a Black man in America. Oh yes, just another Black man in America. On another note, I think I’ll have pizza for dinner.”
The only other insurrectionist to receive such a lengthy sentence so far is Robert Scott Palmer. Palmer, who is white, received a 63 months last year. He reportedly assaulted officers with a fire extinguisher. Yesterday, Ponder told the court, “That day I wasn’t thinking, and I’m extremely sorry for that.”
Mark Ponder ladies and gents.
63 months in prison for attacking a police officer. Pro trump supporter can be seen using a pole to attack officers.
Guess he forgot where and who he was pic.twitter.com/juDggdgm3n— Politics&Recipes🍷 (@Michelle_I_am) July 27, 2022
It was on this day, Mark Ponder realized he’s a black man in America. Oh yes … just another black man in America.
On another note, I think I’ll have pizza for dinner. https://t.co/g1KUUuV24u
— Meli Mel (@MeliMelsWay) July 27, 2022
He deserved the sentence he received. The judge was right. Mark Ponder is one of the assailants who attacked Sgt. Aquilino Gonell who recently announced that the injuries he sustained have forced him to resign from the force
Don’t play white supremacist games if you’re not white
— Qondi (@QondiNtini) July 26, 2022
Mark Ponder: "I'm not Black, I'm a maga supporter."
His lawyer: https://t.co/nck5AV7wM4 pic.twitter.com/g2uKIOo0Ma
— Black At-Them (@FareedBlackman) July 26, 2022
Soooooo… out of 850 J6 defendants so far, the one with the longest sentence is Mark Ponder, the only black guy? Seriously? 849 white folks looking at more lenient charges than the one black guy? That’s just… wow. 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZfxqYWJUXl
— FakeJoeBiden (@fake_biden) July 26, 2022
BREAKING: Mark Ponder gets 63 months in federal prison, three months over what DOJ requested.
He's now tied with Robert Scott Palmer for the longest Jan. 6 sentence. pic.twitter.com/84wtrTxUUV
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) July 26, 2022
Mark Ponder — a Trump supporter who assaulted police officers on Jan. 6 because he believed Trump's lies — has been given 63 months in federal prison by Judge Tanya Chutkan.
Ponder is now tied for the longest Jan. 6 sentence imposed to date. @NBCNews
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 27, 2022