Source: United States Department of Justice News
Defendant Accused of Assaulting Officers with Insecticide and Members of the News Media
WASHINGTON — A Long Island man has been arrested on felony charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Peter G. Moloney, 58, of Bayport, New York, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, civil disorder, assault by striking, entering, and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and other charges. He was arrested today in Bayport. He is expected to make his initial appearance later today in the Eastern District of New York.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Moloney was among the early members of a mob illegally massed on the West Plaza of the Capitol during the initial breach of the Capitol grounds. As the police officers used barricades to attempt to keep the rioters, Moloney put on a helmet, protective eyewear, gloves, and a face covering. At approximately 1:29 p.m., Moloney removed a can of Black Flag® Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Killer2 spray from his backpack and used it on police officers, spraying it in the direction of the officers’ faces and bodies. Moloney sprayed police officers with the insecticide on at least one other occasion. Additionally, on two separate occasions, Moloney joined other rioters in surrounding and striking individuals that the mob believed to be members of the news media.
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. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New York Field Office (Long Island Resident Agency) and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Moloney as #199 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Criminal Investigation Division.
In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, 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 over 270 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.
A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.