Federal Judge Sandra Beckwith called Christopher Cornell's plot to bomb the U.S. Capitol and kill the president and government workers during the 2015 State of Union "horrific" and said his remorse was "late in coming."
Then she sentenced the Green Township man to 30 years in prison with a lifetime of supervised release. In addition, Beckwith told Cornell he should not have any expectation of privacy. She ordered privacy monitoring software because the defendant has used the internet to call on others to join the Islamic State.
Before the sentencing, Cornell told the judge "I'm sorry for scaring everyone," and he asked for a second chance because "I want to make something out of my life."
However, Cornell became angry after Beckwith handed down the sentence, shouting, "Don't trust the court system. It is rigged," and "Allah is in control, not the judge."
The nearly five-hour sentencing hearing included a 15 minute video showing Cornell and the informant talking in a car. It was then Cornell laid out his plans for the attack, smiling and laughing at times.
The defense claimed Cornell never could have carried out the plan and said "he is fixable."