In a recent ruling, a Virginia man has been held accountable for his involvement in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Robert William DeGregoris, 33, from Aldie, Virginia, faced both felony and misdemeanor charges for his conduct, as reported by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The charges stemmed from actions that disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress tasked with verifying the electoral count from the 2020 Presidential Election.
During a bench trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras, DeGregoris was found guilty of felony civil disorder, along with misdemeanor offenses including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and impeding passage through the Capitol grounds or buildings. The sentencing for DeGregoris has been set for February 7, 2025, demonstrating a continued effort by authorities to hold individuals accountable for their role in the riot. Despite being sprayed with Oleoresin Capsicum spray by an officer, DeGregoris continued, along with other rioters, to press against the police line, further highlighting the intensity of his actions.
According to evidence presented at the trial, images and open-source videos placed DeGregoris at the scene, specifically on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol near a section identified as the "Tunnel," which was a zone of intense violence against law enforcement on the day of the insurrection. A particular moment captured on Capitol building closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage revealed DeGregoris reaching towards an officer and possibly striking the officer’s helmet at approximately 4:01 p.m. Approximately 20 seconds later, surrounded by chaos, he was seen pushing a ladder towards the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers.
After clashing with the police and before leaving the restricted area, DeGregoris made a point of posting a photograph on his social media accounts, with a caption stating, "Took some pepper spray & tear gas breaching the front doors….Worth it." FBI agents later detained him on January 25, 2023, in Virginia. Over the 44 months since the Capitol breach, over 1,504 individuals have been charged with crimes related to the event, including more than 560 individuals with felony charges for assaulting or impeding law enforcement, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
