The “Bob’s Burgers” actor was sentenced to one year in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 riot

Jay Johnston, the comedian and actor who voiced Jimmy Pesto Sr. on the Fox comedy series “Bob’s Burgers,” was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Johnston, 55, pleaded guilty in July to a felony charge of obstructing law enforcement after reaching a plea agreement that dropped three other charges originally brought against him. The actor was arrested in June 2023 in California with the help of internet sleuths who identified Mr. Johnston. After the FBI released the photos From him in the Capitol building during the riots. Three other people who knew Mr Johnston also recognized him.

While Mr. Johnston is best known for his role on “Bob’s Burgers,” he was also a regular on the 1990s sketch comedy show, “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” as well as on “The Sarah Silverman Show.” He has mostly starred in comedies on television and in films.

He will be on probation for two years following his one-year prison sentence To a press release From the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols also ordered Mr. Johnston to pay a $2,000 fine.

As rioters broke through police barricades, Mr. Johnston continued to approach the police line, authorities said. Prosecutors said security footage showed he helped push others against police officers who were pinned against a door near the entrance to the Capitol building tunnel.

Mr. Johnston also photographed the crowds throughout the day on his phone, according to the news release. Someone who knew Mr. Johnston showed investigators a text message he sent acknowledging his presence at the Capitol.

“The news presented it as an attack,” the letter said, according to court documents. “Actually it wasn’t. I thought it kind of turned into that. It was chaos. I was hit with tear gas and I found it completely inappropriate.”

Investigators also found that he had booked flights to arrive in Washington on January 4, 2021, and return to Los Angeles three days later.

Mr. Johnston is one of more than 1,500 people who have been charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, according to the Justice Department.