Record at a Glance
- Category
- Jan 6th
- Age in NPR record
- 60
- Location
- Gravette, Arkansas
- Charges
- Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting; Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds with a Deadly or Dangerous Weapon; Entering and Remaining in Certain Rooms in the Capitol Building; Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building; Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building; Theft of Government Property (an envelope which has a value of less than $1,000)
- Case status
- Pleaded not guilty; Convicted; Sentenced
- Presidential action
- Pardon
Case Summary
Richard Barnett, who goes by the nickname "Bigo," gained notoriety in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection after he was photographed sitting in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office with his feet propped on a desk. In a recorded interview with media outlets that same day, Barnett, who was wearing a plaid jacket without a shirt underneath, is seen holding an envelope addressed to Rep. Billy Long and with a digital signature from Speaker Pelosi, according to court documents. In the interview, Barnett says: “I did not steal it. I bled on it because they were Macing me... I put a quarter on her desk." He also left a note on the speaker's desk, according to court documents, which read “Nancy, Bigo was here, you b****.” According to The Washington Post, Barnett has criticized Pelosi for considering the term “white nationalist” to be derogatory, allegedly posting on Facebook: "I am white. There is no denying that. I am a nationalist. I put my nation first. So that makes me a white nationalist."
Case History
Barnett pleaded Not Guilty to all charges. Found Guilty on all charges on 1/23/2023 in a trial by jury. Sentenced on 5/24/2023 to 54 months incarceration; 36 months of supervised release; $455 special assessment; Restitution of $2,000. Barnett received a full pardon on January 20, 2025
Sources
- Primary Documentation
NPR Jan. 6 Defendant DatabaseNPR - Primary Documentation
Underlying court recordCourt record linked by NPR - Supporting Reporting
NPR video evidence pageNPR
Case summary, charges, procedural updates and image are drawn from the NPR Jan. 6 archive snapshot dated 2026-09-25 unless otherwise indicated.