DOJ Seeks Eight Years for Utah Man in January 6th Case

     We've already reported on Odin Meacham, so I'll summarize his actions on January 6th in a few short sentences. Meacham traveled to D.C. with his nephew, Nejourde, who took his own life after being charged for his actions on January 6th. Odin Meacham approached police, threw a metal pole that struck an officer in the hand, swung a wooden pole at officers, and attempted to pull a bike rack and baton away from officers, all while taunting law enforcement.

     Meacham, a former MMA fighter also trained in boxing and jiu jitsu who comes from a large family, was convicted at trial of seven felony charges (including assault with a deadly weapon) and a misdemeanor charge. All told, he was looking at a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. This week, as it does before every criminal defendant is sentenced, the Justice Department filed its sentencing memorandum for Meacham. In it, they request a sentence of 96 months (eight years) in federal prison. 

     In their sentencing memorandum, the defense cites Meacham's upbringing in a stereotypically large, isolated Utah family as the source of his distrust in the government. They say that the Meacham family has a long history of depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide. They note that Meacham's father died six weeks before the 2020 election and claim that he had inflicted a lifetime of emotional abuse on his son. Apparently, Meacham and his father had a significant verbal altercation, and the father died of a heart attack the next day. They also note that it was Meacham's arrest that led to Nejourde being charged and contributed to his death by suicide. That makes two family members that Odin Meacham has killed in the past few years, I guess.

     This sentencing is a unique one in that there is very little disagreement between the government and the defense on the sentencing guidelines. The government does apparently feel some sympathy for Odin Meacham, and they even note Nejourde's suicide as a "collateral consequence" of the case in their sentencing memorandum. They believe that his sentencing guidelines are 87 to 108 months (7.25 to nine years) in prison and that his offense level is 29. The defense believes that his sentencing guidelines are 70 to 87 months (5.8 to 7.25 years) in prison and that his offense level is 27. The two-point disagreement comes on the point of acceptance of responsibility. The government points out that Meacham took his case to a bench trial and was convicted of all eight charges he faced. The defense claims that Meacham, unlike some defendants, has not made statements casting himself as unfairly prosecuted and say that he has been cooperative and truthful with law enforcement and the court. Rather, they argue that he took his case to trial to contest the definitions of the words "deadly or dangerous weapon" and "restricted grounds." 

     The defense actually has a fairly good point on that last subject: going to trial doesn't automatically mean you lose credit for accepting responsibility, and judges tend to be more lenient on defendants who are convicted by bench trial as opposed to jury trial. That doesn't help Odin Meacham much, as he would still face a recommended sentence of six years or more. The defense is seeking a downward variance and a sentence of 40 months (3.3 years) in federal prison. This is actually pretty unusual from a defense standpoint, and it speaks to the fact that they know their client is in serious trouble. In many January 6th cases, defense attorneys will ask for house arrest or maybe a year or two in prison for their clients who were convicted of assaulting law enforcement. The fact that three to four years in prison would be considered mercy for their client doesn't exactly bode well for him.

     Attached to their sentencing memorandum, the defense has letters from Odin's sister, Margo Jensen, and his mother, Rita Meacham. The letters are pretty telling. His mother is a woman of few words, apparently more used to being tasked with birthing and raising children and nothing more. She says that her son loves animals and nature and that he wants to "put this behind him." That statement is concerning: if Odin has accepted the gravity of his actions, his family certainly has not, and they seem more concerned with the consequences on his life than the consequences for our democracy. His sister describes Odin's birth, with her getting off the school bus to hear that her mother had given birth to him in her bedroom two years after a stillbirth. This is one of those families that doesn't trust doctors, doesn't trust the government, and doesn't trust anything else in society, and they wonder why they're a bunch of angry alcoholics?

     Odin Meacham is set to be sentenced next week. Even if the judge sides with the defense, he's going to do years in federal prison. The day of his sentencing also happens to be Election Day. I wonder if Margo and Rita will be voting for Trump? The man destroyed the lives of two members of their family, and without a doubt he has no clue who any of them are. Donald Trump is a danger to democracy, to law enforcement, and to the world. He cannot win the 2024 election.