Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former United States President Donald Trump has been sentenced to four months in prison, after ignoring a subpoena from the authorities investigating the capitol attack.
United States District Judge Carl Nichols imposed the sentence on Friday and also ordered Bannon to pay a fine of $6,500.
Earlier this week, US prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Bannon to six months in prison, while Bannon’s lawyers looked for probation.
Bannon was charged with two counts of contempt in Congress and each of those counts was punishable by 30 days to one year of jail time and a fine ranging between $100 to $100,000.
During his trial, prosecutors called only two witnesses while Bannon’s defense team called none. The defendant decided not to testify.
Bannon had been fired from the White House in 2017 and was a special citizen when he was conferring with the then-president before the January 6 riot.
Friday’s sentencing does little to end Bannon’s legal troubles. He was indicted in New York state in September on charges of money laundering and conspiracy, also working with Donald Trump again.
The prosecutors accused him of deceiving donors by giving money to help build Trump’s promised wall along the US-Mexico border.
Bannon, who pleaded not guilty, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted on those charges. Trump pardoned Bannon last year on similar federal charges.
Many of the prosecutors and the Democrats were happy as this was a win that showed that no one was above the law whether you are a Trump or a Biden supporter.
In addition to Steve, prosecutors have charged former Trump White House adviser Peter Navarro with contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the same committee, with a November 17 trial date set. Navarro has pleaded not guilty