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COLUMBIA, Md. (WJZ) — More than six months aft the chaos astatine the US Capitol, Andrew Ryan Bennett, 1 of the Marylanders charged by the national government, has agreed to plead guilty.
Andrew Bennett of Columbia, who entered a blameworthy plea to 1 misdemeanor number successful #CapitolRiot case, wore Proud Boys chapeau and chanted ‘Break it down’ extracurricular Speaker’s lobby (near wherever pistillate was aboriginal changeable and killed) according to prosecutors. He could get max 6 months. @wjz
READ MORE: Crisis astatine the Capitol: Complete Coverage— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) July 22, 2021
Bennett’s plea is to a misdemeanor for unlawful objection astatine the Capitol. He faces a maximum of six months down bars and up to $5,000 successful fines.
He already agreed to wage $500 to the U.S. Treasury for harm to the building.
Bennett said small beyond “yes” and “no” during his virtual proceeding Thursday arsenic the justice asked him questions.
Capitol riot suspect tells justice this greeting helium volition plead blameworthy successful case; Andrew Ryan Bennett is from Columbia, Howard County https://t.co/lTMP8LVTEq @wjz
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) July 22, 2021
Federal prosecutors said Bennett, from Columbia, Howard County, wrote connected Facebook, “You amended beryllium ready. Chaos is coming, and I volition beryllium successful DC connected 1/6/2021 warring for my freedom!“
READ MORE: Second Howard County Man Andrew Ryan Bennett Linked To U.S. Capitol Riots, Per FBI
He live-streamed himself respective times portion astatine the Capitol connected January 6 including arsenic helium entered with hundreds of others.
Once inside, the FBI said Bennett chanted “Break it down!” extracurricular the doors to the Speaker’s Lobby wherever a pistillate was aboriginal changeable and killed.
In tribunal records WJZ obtained, the authorities said Bennett wore a chapeau “with the letters FAFO, an abbreviation of a slogan fashionable among the Proud Boys, a far-right group. There is nary grounds Bennett was convulsive oregon destructive connected the grounds of oregon wrong the Capitol.”
The authorities said Bennett is being cooperative with their investigation.
As much defendants determination done the tribunal system, immoderate are seeing situation sentences and charges reduced if they plead blameworthy and judge responsibility.
Republicans and Democrats successful Congress person been astatine likelihood this week implicit whether immoderate loyalists to erstwhile President Trump should beryllium included successful a committee investigating the insurrection.
Prosecutors person called the cases “unprecedented” successful scale, and the authorities said successful a March tribunal filing that the Capitol onslaught “is apt the astir analyzable probe ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”
Of the much than 535 defendants who person been arrested successful transportation with the riots, CBS News has reviewed tribunal documents for 525 defendants’ cases that person been unsealed. Of those, astatine slightest 204 defendants were besides indicted by expansive juries.
So far, astatine slightest 20 defendants person pleaded guilty. At slightest 7 defendants, including four Oath Keepers, person agreed to cooperate with the government. At slightest 14 person pleaded blameworthy to misdemeanors only, while two person pleaded blameworthy to azygous counts of felony obstruction.
One suspect has been sentenced to 8 months successful situation for a felony and 2 defendants person been sentenced for misdemeanor charges: Anna Morgan-Lloyd was sentenced to 3 years probation and nary jailhouse time, and Michael Curzio was sentenced to six months imprisonment, though the courts credited him for the astir six months helium had already spent incarcerated arsenic helium waited for the courts to perceive his case.
For others, plea negotiations person been complicated by the immense amounts of grounds progressive successful the investigation.
English (US) ·