Press Release
☷Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During January Six Capitol Breach
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
May 03,2022
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Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Jan . 6 Capitol Breach Defendant Participated in Pushing Large Metal Sign Frame Into Officers Attempting to Secure the Capitol Grounds WASHINGTON – A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty today to two felony charges , including for assaulting law enforcement officers , during the breach of the U . S . Capitol on Jan . 6 , 2021 . His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U . S . Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election . Marshall Neefe , 25 , of Newville , Pennsylvania , pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to charges of conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and assaulting , resisting , or impeding officers . According to court documents , Neefe and a co - defendant , Charles Bradford Smith , communicated with each other and others on Facebook in the weeks preceding Jan . 6 . For example , on Nov . 4 , 2020 , a day after Election Day , Neefe wrote to Smith , “Im getting ready to storm D . C . ” The two subsequently shared their intentions and plans to travel to Washington on Jan . 6 . In one such communication , Neefe wrote , “We goin . . . Cause hot damn son I really wanna crack some commie skulls . ” The two discussed bringing “batons” with them , and Neefe sent a photograph of a wooden club he had made to Smith and others , with a caption that called it “The Commie Knocker . ” Neefe and Smith traveled to Washington , D . C . together . On Jan . 6 , both illegally entered the Capitol grounds . Neefe carried the wooden club and participated in hoisting and pushing a large metal sign frame – at least eight feet tall and 10 feet wide - - into a defensive line of officers attempting to prevent the crowd from further advancing on the west front plaza of the Capitol . Neefe later entered the Capitol building , including the Rotunda , disregarding commands to leave . Smith , 25 , of Shippensburg , Pennsylvania , has pleaded not guilty to charges . Neefe was arrested on Sept . 13 , 2021 . He is to be sentenced on Aug . 17 , 2022 . He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge and an additional eight years in prison on the assault charge . Both charges also carry potential financial penalties . A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U . S . Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors . The case is being prosecuted by the U . S . Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section . Valuable assistance was provided by the U . S . Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania . The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office and its Capital Area Resident Agency . Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office , the U . S . Capitol Police , the Metropolitan Police Department , and the Harrisburg , Pennsylvania Police Department . In the 15 months since Jan . 6 , 2021 , nearly 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U . S . Capitol , including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement . The investigation remains ongoing . Anyone with tips can call 1 - 800 - CALL - FBI ( 800 - 225 - 5324 ) or visit tips . fbi . gov .
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