Man with Molotov cocktails, guns near Capitol on Jan. 6 sentenced to nearly 4 years

An Alabama man who brought Molotov cocktails and guns near the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced on Friday to nearly four years in federal prison.

The 46-month sentence, issued by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, comes after 72-year-old defendant Lonnie Coffman pleaded guilty to possessing unregistered firearms in the District on the same day a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol. 

Coffman has been in custody since his arrest on Jan. 6 of last year, when his pickup truck was found parked near the Capitol containing a trove of guns and other weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and 11 Molotov cocktails. 

Coffman’s sentence of 46 months is among the stiffest handed down to Capitol rioters so far. More than 800 people face charges related to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection that sought to overturn former President Trump’s electoral defeat.

Kollar-Kotelly at Friday’s sentencing hearing described Coffman’s cache of weapons as “a small armory in his truck.” She credited the time he’s spent behind bars since his arrest toward his sentence.

A search of Coffman’s truck turned up a handgun, an assault rifle and ingredients for Molotov cocktails that prosecutors likened to “homemade napalm.” Investigators also discovered a shotgun, a crossbow, several machetes, smoke bombs and a stun gun.

The truck belonging to Coffman, a Trump supporter, also contained a handwritten note quoting Abraham Lincoln about overthrowing “the men who pervert the constitution.”

—Updated at 12:01 p.m.