Hudson Valley Man Found Guilty In Jan. 6 Capitol Riot

SALT POINT, NY — A Dutchess County man was found guilty Tuesday of charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Christopher Patrick Moynihan, 31, of Salt Point, was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

He also pleaded guilty to a total of five related misdemeanor charges.

Judge Christopher Cooper returned the verdict on the obstruction charge after a trial in which Moynihan and the government agreed upon a stipulated set of facts regarding his conduct.

Prosecutors said, on Jan. 6, 2021, Moynihan was among rioters who broke through the security perimeter on the east side of the Capitol Building. He joined rioters outside the Rotunda Door, and around 2:40 p.m., he entered the building, as did others.

Around 2:45 p.m., he briefly entered the Senate Gallery, and several minutes later, he entered the Senate Chamber.

While there, Moynihan paged through a notebook on top of a senator's desk, taking out papers and taking photos with his cell phone. While looking through the papers, he said, “There’s gotta be something in here we can f---- use against these ----bags.”

He then walked down to the well of the Senate and stood next to an elevated desk and platform. He stood with a group of rioters who shouted, cheered and said prayers with a bullhorn.

A few minutes after 3 p.m., law enforcement officers cleared the Senate Chamber and Moynihan was escorted out of the Capitol Building.

Moynihan is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the obstruction charge and a total statutory maximum of 3-1/2 additional years on the misdemeanor charges.

The U.S. Attorney's office said that, in the 19 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 860 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing, officials said.

The House of Representatives and the Senate were in the process of accepting Electoral College votes that would confirm former Vice President Joseph Biden had won the 2020 presidential election when the Capitol Building was stormed and breached.

There have been several people from the Hudson Valley who have been accused of participation in the Jan. 6 riots.