A former Derby alderman has been sentenced to 10 days in prison after participating in the breach at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced Gino DiGiovanni Jr. to 10 days imprisonment, plus one year of supervised release and 50 hours of community service.
The sentencing guidelines set forth by the government call for anywhere from zero to six months.
DiGiovanni’s defense team argued for no jail time while prosecutors asked for 30 days.
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The FBI began its investigation into DiGiovanni after an NBC Connecticut report aired in October 2022 and he was charged 10 months later.
He pleaded guilty to one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, which is a misdemeanor.
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DiGiovanni told NBC Connecticut that he didn’t see any violence while he was in the U.S. Capitol.
The government disputes that in its sentencing memorandum, writing that once on Capitol grounds DiGiovanni “continued to the West Plaza where police officers defending the Capitol building attempted to repel the growing crowd with non-lethal crowd control measures…”
Prosecutors said a jail sentence would deter DiGiovanni from engaging in similar conduct in the future.
DiGiovanni's attorney, Martin Minnella, released a statement following the sentencing. He thanked the judge for taking into consideration that his client did not destroy or deface any government property and for not accepting the prosecutor's recommendation of 30 days in prison.
"On behalf of Mr. DiGiovanni and his family, we are all grateful that this dark chapter in his life is now over," Minnella said.
The Bureau of Prisons will determine where and when he will serve the sentence.
As part of his plea agreement, DiGiovanni will also pay $500 in restitution.
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