A former Delaware Valley High School all-star wrestler pleaded guilty last week to threatening to harm a Washington, D.C., police commander during a fifth anniversary celebration of the Jan. 6 riot.
District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert R. Rigsby sentenced Jake Lang to 180 days in prison, but suspended the sentence, which means he won’t be jailed unless he violates terms of his release, according to court records. Rigsby also ordered Lang to pay a $500 fine and $200 in victims of violent crime compensation by Jan. 27.
Now better known as a right-wing provocateur, Lang, whose full name is Edward Jacob Lang, called the commander “a pitbull that needs to be put down ... and hung right here in front of the Capitol on national TV,” according to a police affidavit filed in the case.
“We would love to see that,” Lang said. “Public execution is the only solution for animals like you.”
As the commander walked away, Lang followed him and other department officers “for several minutes,” according to the affidavit.
Minnesota charges still pending
Lang, 31, a Florida resident, still faces charges in Minnesota because of an incident outside the state Capitol in St. Paul about a month later.
Removing the letters left the words, PRO ICE, an apparent reference to Lang’s support for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, commonly known as ICE.
“Lang said he was on the Capitol ground exercising his ‘First Amendment right to artistic expression’,” a trooper wrote in the affidavit. “When asked if he had damaged an ice sculpture, Lang said the sculpture was made of ice and could not sustain its structure."
Lang overheard a trooper telling a Capitol police dispatcher to save surveillance video.
“And Lang replied that he had great video of the incident,” the trooper wrote in the affidavit.
Police initially charged Lang on Feb. 28 with first-degree property damage, defined as damage that reduces an object’s value by more than $1,000. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.
On April 8, prosecutors added a second-degree property damage charge related to bias against an individual or group. The charging document does not specify the group, but bias includes a prohibition on intimidating or harming someone because of national origin.
Minnesota became a flashpoint after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents shot and killed two people protesting ICE round-ups of illegal immigrants in January.
Lang is challenging the arrest on constitutional grounds with the next hearing scheduled for Oct. 9.
Pardoned for Jan. 6 riot
Federal agents accused Lang of participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot by carrying a riot shield over his head and slamming it on the ground repeatedly near officers.
He was never tried because President Trump pardoned Capitol rioters after he returned to office in January 2025.
