PROVIDENCE (WPRI) – Four years after the ongoing FBI investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, four Rhode Islanders have been swept up in the probe, with most of them sentenced. Only the federal criminal case again Timothy Desjardins, 38, of Providence, is still pending at U.S. District Court in Washington. His case has been on ice as state prosecutors wrapped up a separate investigation, which ultimately ended in Desjardins getting sentenced for 18 years after shooting someone in a road-rage incident. Desjardins – who was the first Rhode Islander to be charged in the Jan. 6 attack – is currently at the ACI in Cranston on the state conviction. In a recent filing in the Washington case, federal prosecutors asked a judge to postpone an upcoming pre-trial hearing, writing, “The government anticipates forthcoming developments that would obviate the need for the status conference.” It’s unclear if that is a reference to Donald Trump’s campaign pledges to pardon at least some Jan. 6 defendants. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not return an email for comment. The first defendant from Rhode Island to serve prison time was Bernard Joseph Sirr, 49, of North Kingstown. He was arrested in 2022 and ultimately pleaded guilty to civil disorder a year later. Video released by the FBI shows Sirr among a group of rioters pushing against a line of police officers trying to infiltrate the Capitol. A judge sentenced Sirr to two months in prison followed by a year of probation. At sentencing he apologized for his actions. Sirr was released in September 2023. William Cotton, of Hopkinton, was the next to be sentenced. He was arrested in 2022 after video evidence showed him inside the Capitol with other rioters. Cotton pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine months of probation. Juan Rodriguez, of Central Falls, was sentenced to one month in prison. FBI agents said Rodriguez and two other men locked themselves inside a Senate staff office and refused to open the door for Capitol police officers. Search all people arrested in Jan. 6 attack Two men from Bristol County, Massachusetts, have also been prosecuted for taking part in the riot. Chase Allen, of Seekonk, pleaded guilty in 2023 to “violent entry and disorderly conduct.” Investigators said he stomped on media equipment that day. He was sentenced to three years of probation. Michael St. Pierre, of Swansea, took his case to trial at U.S. District Court in Washington, and was convicted by a judge of four of seven counts. His lawyer is trying to get one of the counts dismissed and is scheduled to be sentenced in March. By then the Trump administration will be in full swing. If Trump decides to issue pardons related to Jan. 6, it’s unclear how many of the nearly 1,600 defendants who have faced prosecution it will affect. A CBS News poll last month found 59% of Americans would oppose pardons for those who “forced their way into the Capitol,” while 41% approved of the idea. Massachusetts Congressman Jake Auchincloss, who represents Seekonk and Swansea, said any pardons would further divide the country. “Individuals who assault police officers, individuals who attack the institutions of our democracy during the transfer of power, should do the time for the crime that they committed,” Auchincloss, a Democrat, said Monday. Tim White ([email protected]) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW