Federal prosecutors won't defend obstruction conviction against Richard Barnett

WASHINGTON D.C. (KNWA/KFTA) — Richard Barnett has been informed by federal prosecutors that they will not defend an obstruction conviction against him on appeal, according to court documents filed on Friday.

Barnett, 64, of Gravette, was found guilty in January 2023 on eight counts, four felonies and four misdemeanors, related to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.

"There can no longer be any doubt that his appeal is meritorious," his public defender, Courtney L. Millian, wrote in Friday's filing.

Millian argued that without the obstruction charge, Barnett should have received an 18-month to two-year sentence instead of the 54-month sentence he received.

"At this point, he has already served and has credit for high end of the guidelines sentence. Therefore, immediate release is appropriate," Millian wrote.

Barnett has been credited for 22.5 months in prison, according to the filing.

He appealed his conviction in June 2023 with his attorneys arguing about the validity of the obstruction charge he was convicted for.

Barnett gained notoriety from the insurrection after he was photographed putting his feet up on a desk in former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office suite.

“You’ve become a face of this and I think you like it,” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said during his sentencing.

Barnett is currently incarcerated at the Seagoville Federal Correctional Institution in Texas and is set to be released on September 30, 2026, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

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