Man sentenced to 46 months for bringing Molotov cocktails to D.C. during riots

April 1 (UPI) -- An Alabama man who pleaded guilty to bringing several Molotov cocktails near the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, riots was sentenced to 46 months in prison Friday, the Justice Department announced.

Lonnie Coffman, 72, pleaded guilty in November to possession of an unregistered firearm (destructive device) and carrying a pistol without a license.

Authorities found 12 Molotov cocktails, a rifle, shotgun, two 9mm pistols and a .22-caliber pistol in his vehicle after the insurrection. All of the guns, two of which he carried during the riots, were loaded.

U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly said she didn't think she'd ever seen "such a collection of weapons" in a case.

"He had almost a small armory in his truck, ready to do battle," she said during a sentencing hearing Friday, according to CNN.

"The key question to me is ... what was the purpose of driving to D.C. with all of these weapons in his possession?"

Coffman's attorney, Manuel Retureta, said his client drove to Washington, D.C., to "investigate the allegations of [election] fraud he had heard from media outlets," according to WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.

During his plea hearing, Coffman said the Molotov cocktails weren't a threat. He said he made the devices years ago and the gasoline in them was not capable of catching fire.

Kollar-Kotelly said she wouldn't accept Coffman's guilty plea if he didn't acknowledge that the devices were able to function as Molotov cocktails.

"If you're not agreeing to it, I'm not accepting it," she said.

Coffman ultimately agreed that the mason jars could have been used as incendiary devices.

In addition to the 46 months in prison, Coffman was sentenced to three years probation and mandatory mental health treatment. He'll receive credit for time served since his Jan. 6, 2021, arrest.