Cardinals superfan Rally Runner sentenced to ten months in prison for participating in the Capitol riot on January 6

WASHINGTON (AP) — A St. Louis Cardinals superfan known as the “Rally Runner” was sentenced to 10 months in prison Thursday for storming the U.S. Capitol wearing the outfit he famously wore while jogging outside the baseball team’s stadium.

The Missouri man, who officially changed his name from Daniel Donnelly Jr. to “Rally Runner,” became the subject of a baseless conspiracy theory that government organizations secretly incited the riots by supporters of former President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021.

Tucker Carlson featured him in a segment of his now-defunct Fox News show in December 2021. Carlson showed a picture of Rally Runner in front of the Capitol – wearing red face paint and red clothing – while the TV host spread conspiracy theories that unindicted “agent provocateurs” had infiltrated the mob.

“Who is this person? Why hasn't he been charged? That's a very simple question,” Carlson told his viewers.

The 44-year-old rally runner was arrested in August 2023. He is accused of using a stolen sign to help other rioters attack police officers at the Capitol. In March, he pleaded guilty to disturbing the public order.

In addition to the ten-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb sentenced him to pay $3,000 in fines and restitution.

A lawyer for Rally Runner, Scott Rosenblum, said his client was “glad to put this chapter behind him” and “looks forward to continuing to grow and contribute to society.”

In a letter to the judge filed with the court, his mother said her son was not an aggressive person and wanted to go to Washington “to pray for Trump, just as he did for the Cardinals.”

“He did not go to the Capitol with the intention of committing a crime; he went there to participate in a protest,” she wrote. “But it turned into a violent insurrection.”

Rally Runner wore red face paint, a red jacket and a red “Keep America Great” hat when he stormed the Capitol. In St. Louis, he is known for running around Cardinals stadium during baseball games wearing red clothing and red face paint.

Rally Runner told FBI he was at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and took one of the police shields that rioters were passing around. He can be seen in a video in the crowd of rioters attacking police in a tunnel on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace. He and other rioters formed a wall with the shields as they clashed with police, the FBI said.

Rally Runner was still wearing face paint and his Trump hat as he spoke about his role in the attack on the Capitol in a Facebook video posted on January 6, 2021.

“We pushed them to the doors. It worked until more police showed up. I got up front and got into the Capitol through those doors, and then the backup came,” he said in the video.

More than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Capitol riots. Over 900 have been convicted and punished, with about two-thirds receiving prison sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years.