Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania man was sentenced today for assaulting law enforcement 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 that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Mikhail Edward Slye, 32, of Meadville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, 18 months supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 of restitution. Slye pleaded guilty in January 2023 to one charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Slye joined the mob storming the U.S. Capitol and entered the building through a broken window near the Senate wing door while wearing a baseball helmet with a facemask. Slye exited the building a short time later but then reentered within minutes and traveled to the Crypt area of the Capitol and remained inside for 30 minutes.
After exiting the U.S. Capitol, court records state that Slye went to the north side of the building and observed police using chemical spray to keep a mob away from the north doors. As a group of officers made their way down the steps just outside those doors, Slye grabbed a bicycle rack barricade and waited for the officers to come down the stairs.
As a Capitol Police officer approached his position, court documents state that Slye threw the barricade into the officer’s path, causing at least one officer to trip over it. The officer suffered physical injuries as a direct result of the fall. After Slye tripped the officer, he berated other officers attempting to reenter the U.S. Capitol building, shouting “traitor,” “this is our country,” “f*** you,” “Nazis,” “f***ing bitches” and spat at the police.
This case was 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 Western District of Pennsylvania.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office and its Erie Resident Agency, and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
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 nearly 350 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.