A Florida resident was convicted on Dec. 5, 2024, for crimes associated with the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, where he and others disrupted the electoral vote certification process of the 2020 presidential election. Thomas Osborne, 41, from Lakeland, faced the weight of a guilty verdict for both felony and misdemeanor charges dispensed by a federal jury in the District of Columbia, according to a Department of Justice announcement.
The specific counts Osborne was found guilty of are obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder, which is a felony, and several misdemeanors including entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct both in a restricted building and in the Capitol building itself. His sentencing, slated for March 18, 2025, will be determined by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Court documents reveal Osborne to have traveled to Washington D.C. with a group from Florida, originally to attend a rally, before joining the mass of individuals on Capitol grounds.
Surveillance from the chaotic scene placed Osborne on the inaugural stage being constructed for the upcoming inauguration, eventually making his way to the Capitol's Upper West Terrace. Here, when approached by officers, a physical struggle occurred over a baton—an action caught on camera and contributing to his charges. The FBI subsequently arrested Osborne on Feb. 22, 2024, in Florida, with identified BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #347.
The investigation into the Jan. 6 breach has been extensive and ongoing, with over 1,561 individuals charged in connection with the events of that day, across nearly all 50 states. Among these, more than 590 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. This case, along with others, was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, with additional assistance from the FBI's Tampa and Washington Field Offices, as well as the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, as reported.
