CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After posting on Facebook a call for letters of support before he is set to be sentenced for his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot, an acquaintance from James Little's past submitted a letter to a federal judge, asking for a harsher sentence for the Catawba County resident.
Little reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in November 2021. He pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. It carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison and a $5,000 fine.
In a letter written on Jan. 6, 2022, the one-year anniversary of the attack on the Capitol, Carlton Huffman asked Judge Royce Lamberth to give Little, "the maximum penalty allowed by statute for the crime."
Huffman wrote he knew Little while working in western North Carolina. He now lives in Wisconsin.
Huffman said he had never written to a judge regarding the sentencing of another person, but he felt compelled to speak up.
"Unfortunately, in the case of James Little there is no remorse for his actions taken on January 6th and I believe a light sentence will present a risk to the public and to the governing authorities of the United States," wrote Huffman.
Huffman's four-paragraph letter details some of his unpleasant past interactions with Little, calling him "very gruff, rude, and often aggressive with individuals who disagreed with him at public meetings."
Included with Huffman's letter were screenshots of Little's recent social media activity.
Huffman wrote in his letter that, "unlike a number of individuals charged with crimes that day, a quick perusal of Mr. Little's Facebook clearly shows that there is absolutely no remorse for his actions."
Huffman went on to write, "He clearly believes that his disruption of the counting of the Electoral College was a patriotic act and knowing then what he now knows it is my sincere belief his actions on January 6th, 2022 would be the same."
Ending his letter, Huffman offered to travel to Washington, D.C. at his own expense to make a statement in open court.
One other letter was submitted on Little's behalf. His pastor, Rev. Dennis Richards of First Baptist Church in Claremont, wrote that Little, "has a Christian servant's heart" and that he doesn't "believe he means any harm to anyone."
WCNC reached out to Little, but did not hear back.
Little is set to be sentenced on March 14.