A Virginia rapper, who pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts last year
after posting an image of himself posing on a SWAT vehicle during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, is set to serve jail time.On Monday, U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sentenced Antionne DeShaun Brodnax, aka Bugzie the Don, to five months in prison and a year of supervised release, WUSA 9 reported. The decision was made in response to his guilty plea in October 2021 and after he denied a plea deal for a single count.
As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, Brodnax tweeted in February 2021 and posted the image on Instagram in May depicting the cover of his album, dubbed “The Capital.” The image showed him posing on a SWAT truck while the chaos of the riots unfolded in the background.
According to an affidavit, Brodnax was initially in D.C. to shoot a music video, but when he saw a huge crowd of Donald Trump supporters, he followed them into the Capitol building and took photos of the building.
After departing the scene, Brodnax was informed by his family that they witnessed him on a CNN broadcast. However, he told investigators that he did not enter the Capitol to engage in violence or to commit theft.
Prosecutors argued for a lengthier sentence due to Brodnax’s criminal history of prior felony convictions in Virginia and Maryland. These include manufacturing a controlled substance and possession of a firearm.
The Justice Department agreed with the prosecution and increased the rapper’s sentence, and weighed in on Brodnax’s act of deleting evidence from his phone after agreeing to send photographs and videos of the riot to the FBI.
Ultimately, Friedman not only expressed his concern over Brodnax’s criminal history, but he noted disciplinary issues while in custody, and his probationary status for another crime when he got caught up at the Capitol.
“He’s had a problem historically with following conditions imposed upon him,” Friedman said, per WUSA 9.