Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON — A Montana man and a Pennsylvania man were found guilty of all charges against them related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Their actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Isaac Steve Sturgeon, 34, of Dillon, Montana, and Craig Michael Bingert, 31, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, were found guilty on May 24, 2023, following a trial before U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who scheduled sentencing hearings for August 25, 2023, for both defendants.
Sturgeon and Bingert were each convicted of seven charges: obstruction of an official proceeding; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; civil disorder, all felonies; entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and engaging in an act of physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings.
According to evidence presented at trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, Bingert and Sturgeon marched to the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Building where they advanced up the southwest stairs and assaulted a line of police officers. Bingert and Sturgeon were at the front of a mob facing a line of police officers, and after a fellow rioter counted down “1,2,3 Go!”, Bingert and Sturgeon each grabbed the barricade in front of the police officers and pushed it into the officers. Then, along with other rioters, Bingert and Sturgeon lifted the barricade up to crawl underneath it in an attempt to break through the police line. Following the assault, both Bingert and Sturgeon remained on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol Building, including on and around the inaugural stage, until they were removed by law enforcement. Sturgeon posted videos of violence against the police to his social media accounts, and in one, he stated that “this is a (expletive) revolution.”
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of New York.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, (which identified Bingert as AFO #105 and Sturgeon as AFO #104 on their seeking information photos). Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Philadelphia and New York Field Offices, the Joint Terrorism Task Force Kenya, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 28 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 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.