Sentencing note for Thomas B. Adams Jr. of Illinois, convicted in Jan. 6 riots, warns of ‘risk of further attack’

CHICAGO (WLS) – There is a dire warning from federal prosecutors in the case of an Illinois man convicted of violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

There is “the danger of another attack,” which is a direct quote and a steadfast warning from the sentencing recommendation for Thomas B. Adams Jr., whose sentencing was postponed this week until immediately after the November presidential election.

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Prosecutors said Adams and other violent rioters at the Capitol must serve as role models to prevent another attack on D.C

When the breach and insurrection began on Jan. 6 nearly four years ago, Adams was among those who walked through a collapsed Capitol fire door.

As the I-Team reported earlier this year, the Springfield man was sentenced to 14 months in prison but was released from a federal prison in Arkansas after serving just five months pending his appeal.

Adams was one of several hundred Jan. 6 defendants originally charged with obstruction, only to have that federal law struck down by the Supreme Court for use in Jan. 6 cases. He was scheduled to be resentenced this week, but sentencing has now been postponed until November 7, two days after the presidential election.

The I-Team obtained the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The government memo calls for Adams to be sent back to prison beyond what the guidelines allow, 12 months behind bars and an additional 12 months on supervised release, for what authorities describe as a “violent assault.” forced a pause in the certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote count.” , (and) threatened a peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 presidential election.”

Prosecutors want to delay Adams’ sentence to send a broader message.

“The need for the January 6 verdicts is to promote respect for the law and deter future crimes,” prosecutors said.

They cited that “the risk of another attack on the Capitol remains … The heated and inflammatory rhetoric that (Adams) brought to the District has not abated,” they said. “The lie that the election was stolen and illegitimate is still being spread.”

Although sentencing memoranda are typically written for a judge about a single defendant, federal prosecutors in the Adams case appear to be writing for a larger audience, saying that the Jan. 6 rioters not only broke the law, but rejected the law.

In unusually vivid terms, prosecutors point out that it is not enough for the January 6 defendants to simply admit trespassing. They suggest that this general crime does not reflect the damage done to the country.