One Year Later, 700+ Rioters Charged for Jan. 6 Participation, DOJ Won’t Say if Feds Were Involved

As the one-year anniversary of the Capitol riot rounds the corner, the Justice Department has charged over 700 people in connection with the incident, but refuses to answer questions regarding whether federal agents were involved. 

At least 600 of the 700 charges were misdemeanors for entering or remaining on restricted Capitol grounds, offenses punishable by a maximum of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine, Just the News reports. 

Other charges include illegal picketing and disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds. 

One of the more common offenses was corruptly obstructing, influencing or impeding - or attempting to - the official proceeding of certifying Electoral College votes. Around 275 defendants are accused of acting in a manner that impedes or obstructs the normal function of government - a one-year maximum prison sentence. 

A minimum of 225 defendants have received charges of assaulting, impeding or resisting law enforcement during the riot, 75 of whom are also accused of using a dangerous or deadly weapon against officers. 

Around 45 defendants were charged with destruction of government property, and during proceedings for at least three of them, the government said their crimes on Capitol grounds amounted to “terrorism.”

More than 45 defendants were charged as being part of a broader conspiracy, including nearly 20 Oath Keepers, around a dozen Proud Boys and four alleged Three Percenter militia members. 

At least 30 defendants were charged with theft of government property. 

 Around 10 defendants have been charged with assaulting a media member or destroying their equipment during coverage. 

At least 70 defendants who plead guilty have been sentenced, the longest of which was 63 months. 

However, as the investigation has spanned across the last year, the Justice Department has yet to answer whether or not federal agents were involved.