Press Release
☷Retired New York PD Officer Found Guilty by Jury of Felony Charges for Actions Related to Capitol Breach
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
May 03,2022
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Retired NYPD Officer Found Guilty by Jury of Felony Charges for Actions Related to Capitol Breach Defendant Assaulted Law Enforcement Officer With Flagpole , Tackled Him , and Tried to Remove Officer’s Helmet and Gas Mask WASHINGTON – A retired New York Police Department officer was found guilty today by a federal jury of assaulting a law enforcement officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon 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 . Thomas Webster , 56 , of the village of Florida , New York , was found guilty in the District of Columbia of five felonies and one misdemeanor for his actions during the Jan . 6 , 2021 , Capitol breach . He was the first defendant to stand trial on charges that included assaulting , resisting , or impeding officers using a deadly or dangerous weapon , a felony . According to the government’s evidence , on Jan . 6 , at approximately 2:28 p . m . , Webster was among rioters on the other side of metal barricades set up by law enforcement officers attempting to secure the Lower West Terrace area of the Capitol . Webster – who was carrying a large metal flagpole with a red U . S . Marine Corps flag – approached an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department who was behind the metal gates . Webster pointed his finger at the officer and began swearing at him , telling him , among other things to “take your sh - - - off , ” an apparent invitation to the officer to take off his badge and fight . Webster then aggressively shoved the metal gate into the officer’s body . He raised the flagpole and forcefully swung it toward the officer . The officer managed to wrest the flagpole away . Webster , however , then broke through the metal barricade , tackled the officer to the ground , and tried to remove his helmet and gas mask , choking him . During this attack , the officer struggled to breathe . Webster was arrested on Feb . 21 , 2021 . He is to be sentenced on Sept . 2 , 2022 . He was found guilty of five felonies: assaulting , resisting , or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon; obstructing officers during a civil disorder; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds , while carrying a dangerous weapon; engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds , while carrying a dangerous weapon , and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds , while carrying a dangerous weapon . He also was found guilty of one misdemeanor , engaging in an act of physical violence in the Capitol building or grounds . The charge of assaulting , resisting , or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison . The charge of obstructing officers during a civil disorder carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison . The charges of entering and remaining , engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct , and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds , while carrying a dangerous weapon , each carry up to 10 years . The misdemeanor charge of engaging in an act of physical violence in the Capitol building or grounds carries a statutory maximum of six months . The charges also carry potential financial penalties . 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 Southern District of New York . The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office , which identified Webster as AFO #145 on its seeking information photos , and the FBI’s New York Field Office , Hudson Valley Resident Agency . Valuable assistance was provided by the U . S . Capitol Police , the Metropolitan Police Department , and the U . S . Secret Service . 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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