KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville man convicted of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot is now facing a new charge for possessing guns as a felon, according to a grand jury indictment.
Authorities arrested Clifford Meteer on July 29 in Lexington, Ky. following the indictment on July 20. According to the indictment, a grand jury charged him with one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.
The indictment said Meteer had possessed several firearms after being convicted of a felony crime. That conviction happened before Meteer pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol building.
During the investigation into Meteer's involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, the FBI executed a search warrant at his house and found ten guns. The indictment said the search happened on Aug. 10, 2021, and prosecutors said Meteer shouldn't have had those weapons because of his prior felony conviction.
Meteer was sentenced in April 2022 to 60 days in prison, 36 months probation and 60 hours of community service for the demonstration conviction. At the time, the federal judge said the weapons found in Meteer's house factored into his sentence.
Meteer could face a significantly longer prison sentence if convicted on the new charge. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the average prison sentence for a conviction involving a felon in possession of a firearm was a little longer than five years.