Northwest Arkansas man convicted of actions during Jan. 6 Capitol break-in

On December 18, 2024By Littum

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KY3) – A northwest Arkansas man was sentenced in federal court Monday for his role in the January 6, 2021, break-in at the United States Capitol Building.

According to the Justice Department, 35-year-old Nathan Earl Hughes was sentenced to 25 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine.

Hughes previously pleaded guilty to two felonies, including assault, resisting or obstructing certain officers and civil disorder. In addition to the felonies, Hughes also pleaded to the misdemeanor charge of obstructing passage through Capitol grounds or buildings.

According to investigators, law enforcement video footage depicting the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, shows a person, later identified as Hughes, present near the Lower West Terrace tunnel for at least an hour. Hughes wore a black/navy camouflage print hat with a frayed brim, signature black Mechanix gloves, a gray hoodie and a black “Infowars” branded shirt with an image of a space shuttle and the words ‘Space Force Est. 2020″ written on it.

Investigators say Hughes pushed against the police line in the tunnel and helped other rioters physically fight police to break the line and enter the US Capitol building. At approximately At 3:15 p.m., Hughes was at the tunnel mouth and signaled to the crowd of rioters: “Come on! Come on!” as he waved his hand in the direction of the tunnel. After signaling to the crowd, Hughes entered the tunnel and jumped towards the police line.

Inside the tunnel, Hughes continued to signal others to enter and confront the police line. Hughes then stood shoulder to shoulder with others and began rocking back and forth in sync with the crowd. At about 3:18 p.m., Hughes helped the mob forcefully remove police riot shields and send them out of the tunnel. Hughes also personally attempted to pull away police shields and send them out of the tunnel back to the other rioters.

At approximately 3:19 p.m., as Hughes was being forced out of the tunnel by police, he was observed using his elbow to strike in the direction of police. After he was pushed out of the tunnel, Hughes remained near the tunnel for at least 90 minutes, urging other rioters to “pull them out!” Earlier in the day, investigators say Hughes had witnessed the mob forcefully pulling police officers from the tunnel and into the crowd.

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