Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today to 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.
Troy Sargent, 38, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to all six counts of an indictment, including felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder, as well as four related misdemeanor offenses.
According to court documents, Sargent was part of a crowd of rioters illegally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. At approximately 2:30 p.m., he stepped forward from the crowd and swung his open hand towards a U.S. Capitol Police Officer, making contact with the officer. Immediately afterward, another officer instructed Sargent and others, “Do not start attacking people.” Thirty seconds later, at approximately 2:31 p.m., Sargent again advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand towards the same officer; this time, he made contact with someone else in the crowd. In this second incident, Sargent intended to make contact with the same officer. In a social media message later, he wrote to another person, “I got two hits in on the same rookie cop …”
Sargent was arrested on March 9, 2021, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He is to be sentenced on Oct. 3, 2022. He faces a statutory maximum of eight years in prison on the charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and up to five years in prison in prison on the civil disorder charge. He also faces a total of 3 ½ years in prison on the four misdemeanors. The 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The FBI’s Boston Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department
In the 17 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 840 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.