Hayward man sentenced for Jan. 6 attack on US Capitol

A Hayward, Wis. man was sentenced for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021. Thousands of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building following a “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Jonathan Bonney, 40, of Hayward was sentenced Friday, July 12 by Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, after a rally for former President Donald Trump.

For four misdemeanor offenses, Bonney was sentenced to 12 months of probation, a special assessment of $70 and $500 restitution.

In the government’s sentencing memorandum, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves had requested Bonney serve six months incarceration.

Bonney had been charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and parading, demonstrating or picketing in Capitol building.

Bonney, an owner of the popular Wilderness Walk in Hayward, appeared remotely for his sentencing.

In the April 23, 2023 criminal complaint prepared by a special agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), it notes that on Jan. 20, 2021 the FBI received an online tip that on Jan. 7, 2021, a passage in seat 10A of American Airlines flight AA5576 traveling from Washington Dulles airport to Charlotte North Carolina was claiming he had participated in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the Capitol and had entered a Congressional office.

The FBI identified Bonney as the passenger in seat 10A with a residence in Grand Junction, Colorado and subsequently flight records showed he had flown from Colorado to Baltimore, Maryland on Jan. 5 and then on Jan. 7 from Washington-Dulles to Colorado with a layover in Phoenix, Arizona.

On Jan. 21, 2021, Bonney was contacted by two FBI agents at his residence in Grand Junction.

Later, the complaint says those same two FBI agents were able to identify Bonney from closed circuit surveillance (CCTV) footage on Jan. 6, 2021, from inside the Capitol.

The complaint includes several screen shots reported to be Bonney inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for 12 minutes between  2:41 and 2:53 p.m.

On March 11, 2024, Bonney pled guilty to all four counts.

Sentencing Memorandum

The 24-page government sentencing memorandum is much more extensive than the original April 2023, seven-page complaint.

The tone of the sentencing document is replete with the seriousness of the charges against Bonney.

“He participated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol — a violent attack that forced an interruption of Congress’s certification of the 2020 Electoral College vote count, threatened the peaceful transfer of power after the 2020 Presidential election, injured more than one hundred police officers and resulted in more than $2.9 million dollars in losses.”

The sentencing document says its recommendation is based on at least seven factors including the following:

• “Texting multiple people in the days before January 6, 2021 about his plans to go to the U.S. Capitol and join ‘the massive Trump rally at the Capital [sic] building on January 6 for the electoral count!!’ adding before that ‘if something crazy happens, I want to be part of it!’”
• “Texting others and asking if ‘any of you other [f–ers] down to go say [f–] the democrats.’”
• Walking by signs inside the Capitol saying the area was restricted.
• Before entering the Capitol, texting “We’re storming the Capital!!!”
• Entering the Capitol through a door with “visible broken glass, after watching other rioters push that same door open.”
• Walking as far as the Speaker’s Lobby before exiting.
• Sending message to others with no regret for what he had done, including, “I’m not ashamed of how it went down…they need a wake up call and hopefully they got it,” as well as “I was ready to go in and hang Pelosi (Nancy Pelosi, former Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives).”

The sentencing memorandum notes, “Most alarmingly, instead of being shaken by what he saw that day or ashamed of his own behavior, in the days following the riot, Bonney’s text messages contained references to acts of violence against members of Congress.”

The sentencing memorandum also notes text message exchanges Bonney had in which “several friends and family strongly advised Bonney against going to, entering or otherwise participating in the attack on the U.S. Capitol that day,” and adding, “None of those text message show that Bonney has any regret or remorse for his actions on January 6, 2021.”

Concerning sentencing factors, the memorandum notes that Bonney had intent to be disruptive: “Bonney is not someone who came to D.C. to peacefully protest as part of the former President’s rally and was then somehow swept up in the fervor of the crowd. Rather, he went to D.C. to make sure if something ‘crazy’ happened, he would be ‘part of it.’”

The memorandum also notes Bonney’s military record, serving in the U.S. Army from 2003-2015, with no prior criminal record, until he was honorably discharged as a Sergeant First Class, but it also notes as a former non-commissioned officer Bonney was aware he did not have permission to enter a restricted government building.

“His voluntary decision to storm a guarded Government building is disturbing in light of his former military service and training,” noted the memorandum. “As an active-duty service member he would not have allowed civilian onto restricted military installations. In this case, Bonney’s conduct and former military service demonstrates a very real need for specific deterrence in the form of incarceration.”

The memorandum also makes a case that because Bonney had entered a “sensitive space, such as the Speaker’s Lobby” it “…places the defendant in a more serious category of offenders than defendants who remained in more public spaces, such as the Rotunda.”

Support letters

Bonney had three letters of support, including one by Colonel Kenneth J. Harvey, US Army (retired) who had served with Bonney from 2004-06.

“While we served together, I found Jon to be a conscientious and dedicated American,” wrote Col. Harvey. “He was always proud of his country, the Army and our unit. His dedication to others was exemplified when our HMMWV (military vehicle) was struck by an IED (improvised explosive device). Even though Jon was injured by shrapnel, his focus was on ensuring the casualty evacuation of our severely wounded gunner. He was a soldier to be relied on and demonstrated that time over time.”

He also had a letter of support from his father, Jerome K. Bonney, a former Special Agent of the FBI.

“Jonathan knows right from wrong and has never been in trouble before. However, he apparently got carried away when he flew to WDC (Washington, D.C) to support his President at a rally and unfortunately followed the crowd,” wrote his father.

Bonney’s mother, Jacqueline, also wrote a letter noting positive ways he made his family proud in his involvement in church, family and friends, and country.

“My son, Jonathan R. Bonney, made a mistake walking into the Capitol Building Jan 6 th , one that I’m certain he deeply regrets. Thankfully, as seen in the video, Jon spent 12 minutes looking and acting like a typical tourist not a criminal.

“As Jon’s sentencing approaches, I think it’s critically important to share a brief summary of the many positive ways in which he has made his family proud serving his church, family, friends and country,” wrote his mother who expounded on the four areas.

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