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Colorado man pleads guilty to Jan. 6 US Capitol charges

By Annika Schmidt 03/06/2023 | updated 2 years ago

A Woodland Park man pleaded guilty Monday in the District of Columbia to a felony charge for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Robert Gieswein, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers by spraying an aerosol irritant during events that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress related to the 2020 presidential election, according to a news release from the FBI.

Gieswein will be sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Trevor N. McFadden at a sentencing hearing on June 9.

Woodland Park man charged for participation in Capitol riot intends to appeal pretrial detention

Sentencing guidelines for Gieswein recommend a prison sentence ranging from three years and five months to four years and three months, according to his plea agreement, as reported by the Associated Press. The FBI news release said each assault charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of eight years in prison, in addition to possible financial penalties.

Gieswein was wearing a helmet and goggles with a camouflage paramilitary kit and carrying a baseball bat when he stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He marched to the building from the Washington Monument, then around the Capitol for approximately three hours with members of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group.

Gieswein was one of the first to enter the Capitol through a window that he encouraged other rioters to break, according to court papers, as previously reported by The Gazette. Authorities said he is also caught on video repeatedly spraying an “aerosol irritant” at numerous police officers both inside and outside the Capitol, injuring at least one. 

2 Capitol riot defendants sought by FBI after disappearing

Gieswein pushed against more than one line of police, including one in the Capitol trying to prevent rioters from advancing down a hallway to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office, the FBI news release said.

Gieswein was originally charged with one count of obstruction of an official proceeding; three counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers while using a dangerous weapon; one count of destruction of government property; and one count of entering/remaining in a restricted area.

Federal authorities have said Gieswein appeared to be a follower of the Three Percenters, a domestic militia group that they say is anti-government, and ran a private paramilitary training group called the Woodland Wild Dogs.

This 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. The FBI Denver Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office identified Gieswein as No. 10 in its seeking information photos during their ongoing investigation.

Nearly 1,000 people have been arrested across the country for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including more than 320 defendants charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

Robert Gieswein, left, pleaded guilty to federal charges Monday related to actions he committed at the Captiol on Jan. 6, 2021.
courtesy photo
Robert Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park. Photo courtesy of US arrest affidavit.
Courtesy of US arrest affidavit
Robert Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park, is suspected of assaulting a federal officer, destroying government property as well as aiding and abetting destruction of government property, obstructing official proceedings, entering a restricted building, and disorderly conduct, an arrest affidavit filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Courtesy of arrest affidavit
Courtesy of US arrest affidavitRobert Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park, is suspected of assaulting a federal officer, destroying government property as well as aiding and abetting destruction of government property, obstructing official proceedings, entering a restricted building, and disorderly conduct, an arrest affidavit filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation said.
Courtesy of US arrest affidavit
Annika Schmidt

Reporter

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