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Prosecutors seek jail for Virginia brothers in Jan. 6 riot

Capitol riots
Posted at 3:18 PM, Apr 24, 2022
and last updated 2022-04-24 15:18:44-04

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Prosecutors are seeking short jail sentences for two brothers from Virginia Beach who pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in connection with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Paul and Eric Von Bernewitz are scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Washington.

They each pleaded guilty in January to demonstrating inside the Capitol.

In court papers, prosecutors recommended a 45-day sentence for Paul and a 15-day sentence for Eric. Both were briefly inside the Capitol, but prosecutors say Paul played a more direct role in confronting Capitol police.

Paul’s lawyer is requesting a 3-day sentence, while Eric’s lawyer requested no jail time.

Related: One year later: where Jan. 6 cases from Hampton Roads stand