‘Baked Alaska’ sentenced to two months in prison for role in U.S. Capitol riot

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The far-right media personality known as “Baked Alaska” was sentenced on Tuesday to two months in prison after having pleaded guilty last year to a misdemeanor charge stemming from his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Anthime “Tim” Gionet, had admitted in July to being part of the mob that entered the Capitol without authorization and occupied the building for hours.

He was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Trevor McFadden to pay a $2,000 fine and $500 in restitution for damage done to the Capitol building in the assault by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Gionet had livestreamed his breach of the Capitol.

Gionet, a banned YouTube prankster and former BuzzFeed social media strategist calling himself Baked Alaska, had also pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully “parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.”

Five people died and more than 140 police officers were injured in the attack, which followed weeks of false claims by Trump that he had won the 2020 elections. The attacks occurred as the U.S. Congress was certifying the November 2020 presidential election victory of Democrat Joe Biden over Trump.

About 900 people have been charged so far with taking part in the riot, producing about 470 guilty pleas, according to a tally released recently by the Justice Department, which is conducting an investigation into the attacks.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Sandra Maler)