Rhode Island Man Pleads Guilty In Jan. 6 Capitol Breach Case

A North Kingstown man admitted Friday to committing a felony during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Bernard Joseph Sirr, 47, of North Kingstown, pleaded guilty in federal court in Washington D.C. to interference with officers during a civil disorder. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for May 12.

Sir was arrested in June 2022. According to court documents, Sirr was among the rioters who illegally entered the Capitol grounds. He joined a line of rioters who were engaged in a confrontation with Capitol Police officers in the tunnel area of the Lower West Terrace, prosecutors said.

At 3:08 p.m., video showed Sirr entering the tunnel. During a video taken inside the tunnel, Sirr is at the front of the police line pushing against rioters who are assaulting officers, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said Sirr pushed against the police line with his hand pressed against a police shield.
He also participated in a confrontation in which a group of rioters chanted "Heave! Ho!" in unison as they moved together as a team against the officer, according to the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said Sirr left the tunnel around 3:14 p.m. About an hour later, he reappeared at the Lower West Terrace doorway, pushing other rioters who were pushing against police officers, authorities said. Sirr ultimately was ejected from the tunnel area.

Sirr's guilty plea came after a plea deal earlier this month. He was also previously charged with several misdemeanors, but those were dropped after the plea deal.

In the two years since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 950 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states in connection to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 284 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the the U.S. Attorney's Office.