Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON — An Illinois man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting law enforcement, related to 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 2020 presidential election.
Robin Lee Reierson, 68, of Schiller Park, Illinois, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Reierson is charged with multiple misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in any restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Reierson was arrested on Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Schiller Park and made his initial appearance in the Northern District of Illinois.
According to court documents, law enforcement authorities investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack and breach identified a male, later determined to be Reierson, wearing a brown jacket, gray hoodie, light-colored gloves, jeans, and a black motorcycle helmet who engaged with Metropolitan Police Department officers on the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol that day.
Authorities identified Reierson as actively engaged with officers at the police line on the Lowest West Terrace. For instance, while rioters attempted to overwhelm officers by breaching a metal barrier on the Lower West Terrace, Reierson used his back and body to push on the metal barrier that officers were holding to maintain their lines. Reierson is also accused of physically pushing officers using both hands and by lowering his shoulder into the officers. In addition, court documents say that a nearby officer’s body-worn camera captured footage of Reierson grabbing and attempting to take possession of a police officer’s baton.
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 Northern District of Illinois.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Chicago and Washington Field Offices, which identified Reierson as BOLO (Be On the Lookout) #433 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 31 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,106 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
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.