useapen
2024-01-06 07:25:32 UTC
WASHINGTON (AP) Members of far-right extremist groups. Former police
officers. An Olympic gold medalist swimmer. And active duty U.S. Marines.
They are among the hundreds of people who have been convicted in the
massive prosecution of the Jan 6, 2021, riot in the three years since the
stunned nation watched the U.S. Capitol attack unfold on live TV.
Washingtons federal courthouse remains flooded with trials, guilty plea
hearings and sentencings stemming from what has become the largest
criminal investigation in American history. And the hunt for suspects is
far from over.
We cannot replace votes and deliberation with violence and intimidation,
Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told
reporters on Thursday.
Authorities are still working to identify more than 80 people wanted for
acts of violence at the Capitol and to find out who placed pipe bombs
outside the Republican and Democratic national committees offices the day
before the Capitol attack. And they continue to regularly make new
arrests, even as some Jan. 6 defendants are being released from prison
after completing their sentences.
The cases are playing out at the same courthouse where Donald Trump is
scheduled to stand trial in March in the case accusing the former
president of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the run-up
to the Capitol attack.
The Justice Department will hold all Jan. 6 perpetrators at any level
accountable under the law, whether they were present that day or otherwise
criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy, Attorney General
Merrick Garland said Friday. He said the cases filed by Graves and the
special counsel in Trumps federal case, Jack Smith, show the department
is abiding by the long-standing norms to ensure independence and
integrity or our investigations.
A look at where the cases against the Jan. 6 defendants stand:
BY THE NUMBERS
More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot,
ranging from misdemeanor offenses like trespassing to felonies like
assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Roughly 730 people
have pleaded guilty to charges, while another roughly 170 have been
convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury,
according to an Associated Press database.
Only two defendants have been acquitted of all charges, and those were
trials decided by a judge rather than a jury.
About 750 people have been sentenced, with almost two-thirds receiving
some time behind bars. Prison sentences have ranged from a few days of
intermittent confinement to 22 years in prison. The longest sentence was
handed down to Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys national chairman who
was convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as a
plot to stop the transfer of power from Trump, a Republican, to Joe Biden,
a Democrat.
Many rioters are already out of prison after completing their sentences,
including some defendants who engaged in violence. Scott Fairlamb a New
Jersey man who punched a police officer during the riot and was the first
Jan. 6 defendant to be sentenced for assaulting law enforcement was
released from Bureau of Prisons custody in June.
ALL EYES ON THE SUPREME COURT
Defense attorneys and prosecutors are closely watching a case that will
soon be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that could impact hundreds of Jan.
6 defendants. The justices agreed last month to hear one rioters
challenge to prosecutors use of the charge of obstruction of an official
proceeding, which refers to the disruption of Congress certification of
Bidens 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.
More than 300 Jan. 6 defendants have been charged with the obstruction
offense, and so has Trump in the federal case brought by special counsel
Jack Smith. Lawyers representing rioters have argued the charge was
inappropriately brought against Jan. 6 defendants.
The justices will hear arguments in March or April, with a decision
expected by early summer. But their review of the obstruction charge is
already having some impact on the Jan. 6 prosecutions. At least two
defendants have convinced judges to delay their sentencings until after
the Supreme Court rules on the matter.
RIOTERS ON THE LAM
Dozens of people believed to have assaulted law enforcement during the
riot have yet to be identified by authorities, according to Graves. And
the statute of limitations for the crimes is five years, which means they
would have to be charged by Jan. 6, 2026, he said.
Several defendants have also fled after being charged, including a Proud
Boys member from Florida who disappeared while he was on house arrest
after he was convicted of using pepper spray gel on police officers.
Christopher Worrell, who spent weeks on the lam, was sentenced on Thursday
to 10 years in prison.
The FBI is still searching for some defendants who have been on the run
for months, including a brother-sister pair from Florida. Olivia Pollock
disappeared shortly before her trial was supposed to begin in March. Her
brother, Jonathan Pollock, is also missing. The FBI has offered a reward
of up to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest of Jonathan
Pollock, who is accused of thrusting a riot shield into an officers face
and throat, pulling an officer down steps and punching others.
Another defendant, Evan Neumann, fled the U.S. two months after his
December 2021 indictment and is believed to be living in Belarus.
WHAT ABOUT THE PIPE BOMBER?
One of the biggest remaining mysteries surrounding the riot is the
identity of the person who placed two pipe bombs outside the offices of
the Republican and Democratic national committees the day before the
Capitol attack. Last year, authorities increased the reward to up to
$500,000 for information leading to the persons arrest. It remains
unclear whether there was a connection between the pipe bombs and the
riot.
Investigators have spent thousands of hours over the last three years
doing interviews and combing through evidence and tips from the public,
said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington
Field Office.
We urge anyone who may have previously hesitated to come forward or who
may not have realized they had important information to contact us and
share anything relevant, he said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30
p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but officers didnt find them until
the next day. Authorities were called to the Republican National
Committees office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. Shortly after, a call came
in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National
Committee headquarters. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.
Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a
face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a
bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley
near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and
light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the Supreme Court justices will
hear arguments in March or April, not that they wont.
https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-criminal-cases-anniversary-
bf436efe760751b1356f937e55bedaa5
officers. An Olympic gold medalist swimmer. And active duty U.S. Marines.
They are among the hundreds of people who have been convicted in the
massive prosecution of the Jan 6, 2021, riot in the three years since the
stunned nation watched the U.S. Capitol attack unfold on live TV.
Washingtons federal courthouse remains flooded with trials, guilty plea
hearings and sentencings stemming from what has become the largest
criminal investigation in American history. And the hunt for suspects is
far from over.
We cannot replace votes and deliberation with violence and intimidation,
Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, told
reporters on Thursday.
Authorities are still working to identify more than 80 people wanted for
acts of violence at the Capitol and to find out who placed pipe bombs
outside the Republican and Democratic national committees offices the day
before the Capitol attack. And they continue to regularly make new
arrests, even as some Jan. 6 defendants are being released from prison
after completing their sentences.
The cases are playing out at the same courthouse where Donald Trump is
scheduled to stand trial in March in the case accusing the former
president of conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the run-up
to the Capitol attack.
The Justice Department will hold all Jan. 6 perpetrators at any level
accountable under the law, whether they were present that day or otherwise
criminally responsible for the assault on our democracy, Attorney General
Merrick Garland said Friday. He said the cases filed by Graves and the
special counsel in Trumps federal case, Jack Smith, show the department
is abiding by the long-standing norms to ensure independence and
integrity or our investigations.
A look at where the cases against the Jan. 6 defendants stand:
BY THE NUMBERS
More than 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot,
ranging from misdemeanor offenses like trespassing to felonies like
assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Roughly 730 people
have pleaded guilty to charges, while another roughly 170 have been
convicted of at least one charge at a trial decided by a judge or a jury,
according to an Associated Press database.
Only two defendants have been acquitted of all charges, and those were
trials decided by a judge rather than a jury.
About 750 people have been sentenced, with almost two-thirds receiving
some time behind bars. Prison sentences have ranged from a few days of
intermittent confinement to 22 years in prison. The longest sentence was
handed down to Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys national chairman who
was convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors described as a
plot to stop the transfer of power from Trump, a Republican, to Joe Biden,
a Democrat.
Many rioters are already out of prison after completing their sentences,
including some defendants who engaged in violence. Scott Fairlamb a New
Jersey man who punched a police officer during the riot and was the first
Jan. 6 defendant to be sentenced for assaulting law enforcement was
released from Bureau of Prisons custody in June.
ALL EYES ON THE SUPREME COURT
Defense attorneys and prosecutors are closely watching a case that will
soon be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court that could impact hundreds of Jan.
6 defendants. The justices agreed last month to hear one rioters
challenge to prosecutors use of the charge of obstruction of an official
proceeding, which refers to the disruption of Congress certification of
Bidens 2020 presidential election victory over Trump.
More than 300 Jan. 6 defendants have been charged with the obstruction
offense, and so has Trump in the federal case brought by special counsel
Jack Smith. Lawyers representing rioters have argued the charge was
inappropriately brought against Jan. 6 defendants.
The justices will hear arguments in March or April, with a decision
expected by early summer. But their review of the obstruction charge is
already having some impact on the Jan. 6 prosecutions. At least two
defendants have convinced judges to delay their sentencings until after
the Supreme Court rules on the matter.
RIOTERS ON THE LAM
Dozens of people believed to have assaulted law enforcement during the
riot have yet to be identified by authorities, according to Graves. And
the statute of limitations for the crimes is five years, which means they
would have to be charged by Jan. 6, 2026, he said.
Several defendants have also fled after being charged, including a Proud
Boys member from Florida who disappeared while he was on house arrest
after he was convicted of using pepper spray gel on police officers.
Christopher Worrell, who spent weeks on the lam, was sentenced on Thursday
to 10 years in prison.
The FBI is still searching for some defendants who have been on the run
for months, including a brother-sister pair from Florida. Olivia Pollock
disappeared shortly before her trial was supposed to begin in March. Her
brother, Jonathan Pollock, is also missing. The FBI has offered a reward
of up to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest of Jonathan
Pollock, who is accused of thrusting a riot shield into an officers face
and throat, pulling an officer down steps and punching others.
Another defendant, Evan Neumann, fled the U.S. two months after his
December 2021 indictment and is believed to be living in Belarus.
WHAT ABOUT THE PIPE BOMBER?
One of the biggest remaining mysteries surrounding the riot is the
identity of the person who placed two pipe bombs outside the offices of
the Republican and Democratic national committees the day before the
Capitol attack. Last year, authorities increased the reward to up to
$500,000 for information leading to the persons arrest. It remains
unclear whether there was a connection between the pipe bombs and the
riot.
Investigators have spent thousands of hours over the last three years
doing interviews and combing through evidence and tips from the public,
said David Sundberg, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington
Field Office.
We urge anyone who may have previously hesitated to come forward or who
may not have realized they had important information to contact us and
share anything relevant, he said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
The explosive devices were placed outside the two buildings between 7:30
p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2021, but officers didnt find them until
the next day. Authorities were called to the Republican National
Committees office around 12:45 p.m. on Jan. 6. Shortly after, a call came
in for a similar explosive device found at the Democratic National
Committee headquarters. The bombs were rendered safe, and no one was hurt.
Video released by the FBI shows a person in a gray hooded sweatshirt, a
face mask and gloves appearing to place one of the explosives under a
bench outside the DNC and separately shows the person walking in an alley
near the RNC before the bomb was placed there. The person wore black and
light gray Nike Air Max Speed Turf sneakers with a yellow logo.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the Supreme Court justices will
hear arguments in March or April, not that they wont.
https://apnews.com/article/capitol-riot-jan-6-criminal-cases-anniversary-
bf436efe760751b1356f937e55bedaa5