Illinois Man Pleads Guilty To Charges In U.S. Capitol Riots: Feds

OTTAWA, IL — A 28-year-old Ottawa man faces up to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to felony charges on Friday in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, federal prosecutors said.

Matthew Capsel pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder, the U.S. Attorney announced.

Court documents show that between 2 and 3 p.m. on Jan. 6, Capsel was among rioters illegally at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol, prosecutors said. The documents show that while he was at the capitol, Capsel recorded videos on social media in which he said, among other things, “Hold the line, don’t run.”

Prosecutors also said that Capsel was part of a "mob of rioters" who were on the steps to the inauguration bleachers, where officials said that he and others overtook law enforcement officers attempting to secure the area.

Later, at about 6:14 p.m., after a curfew had been enacted and the National Guard had established a perimeter on the west side of the Capitol, Capsel joined another mob. He and others charged at the line of National Guard members, pushing them, federal officials announced.

Prosecutors said in the court documents that Capsel continued to post about his actions on social media in the days following Jan. 6, writing in one post, “On the 6[th] good men had to do a bad thing …”

Capsel was arrested on Jan. 26, 2021, in Illinois and will be sentenced on Dec. 16. Authorities said that he faces a statutory maximum of five years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Capsel is now one of more than 860 individuals who have been arrested in connection with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding police officers.