A federal jury in the District of Columbia delivered a verdict on Sept. 11, finding Brett Alan Rotella of Kannapolis, North Carolina, guilty of multiple offenses tied to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, including assaulting law enforcement officers, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. Rotella, who also goes by Brett Ostrander, was convicted on three felony counts as well as three misdemeanors linked to his disruptive conduct inside and on the grounds of the Capitol building during the violence.
The evidence presented in court showed that Rotella, clad in a red skull cap and a black sleeveless puffy vest, forcefully pushed barricades toward Metropolitan Police Department officers and led a group of rioters up the stairs of the Capitol, this all occurred as a joint session of Congress convened to count electoral votes was abruptly disrupted, Rotella's aggressive actions spanned from pushing against police shields to utilizing a large ladder in a collective effort to break through law enforcement lines guarding the entrance of the Capitol.
Scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 13, by U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss, Rotella's behavior was captured on various recording mediums, including CCTV, body-worn cameras, and additional video footage demonstrating his repeated assault against police resistance inside the Capitol's West Terrace Tunnel, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia. His participation in the breach involved smashing a glass pane of a locked door and a coordinated push against the officers designed to infringe upon the legislative sanctum that is the U.S. Capitol.
Rotella's arrest by the FBI on Aug. 29, 2023, in Mooresville, North Carolina, came after he was identified as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #82 by the FBI's Charlotte and Washington Field Offices, with the help of the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department for an extensive investigation that has, since the January 6 event, resulted in charges against more than 1,504 individuals for crimes related to the Capitol breach, including assaults on law enforcement which accounted for over 560 of those charged.
