A federal judge has blamed the former president for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, saying that then-President Donald Trump 'created the conditions' for the unrest with his 'lies.'
Judge Amit Mehta, of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, indirectly invoked the president's name Friday when sentencing John Lolos to 14 days in jail for his role in the deadly demonstration.
'The fact remains that he and others were called to Washington, DC, by an elected official, prompted to walk to the Capitol by an elected official,' Mehta said.
'People like Mr. Lolos were told lies, were told falsehoods, were told the election was stolen when it was not,' Mehta added, calling Lolos a 'pawn,' according to CNN.
Mehta appears to be the first judge to hold Trump responsible in a Capitol riot case.
Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said a January 6 rioter was 'called to Washington, DC, by an elected official' and called him a 'pawn' on Friday
Mehta sentenced John Lolos, above, to 14 days in jail and ordered him to pay $500
Judge Mehta, 50, was born in India and attended Georgetown University and the University of Virginia Law School. He was appointed by former President Barack Obama in July 2014 and confirmed by the US Senate via voice vote in December.
'Once you hear people who should know better tell you that an election was stolen and they say it loudly enough, frequently enough, it's not surprising that people will believe it,' the judge said, according to Politico.
Nearly 700 people have been charged in the riot, Insider reports, and 40 have been sentenced.
Lolos was sentenced to 14 days in jail and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution.
Prosecutors say that Lolos was seen in a video leaving the Capitol doorway waving a red 'Trump 2020 Keep America Great' flag hooked together with the United States flag, yelling, 'We did it, yeah!' after an unknown individual yelled, 'We stopped the vote!'
He was arrested after a DC airport officer saw a video of Lolos at the riot on his Instagram feed and noticed him at the airport wearing the same shirt.
At the time, Lolos was
