An Ohio man pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge of destruction of government property for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
Troy Elbert Faulkner, 41, of Whitehall, Ohio, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia.
According to court documents, shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, Faulkner was part of a large crowd illegally outside the U.S. Capitol. He jumped up onto a window ledge and used his left foot to kick in two lower panes, shattering them.
On Jan. 13, 2021, on a recorded call to an FBI hotline, and in subsequent interviews with law enforcement officers, Faulkner admitted that he had kicked in the window.
The architect of the Capitol estimated the cost of the damage to the window is $10,560, making this a felony offense.
Faulkner was arrested on Dec. 8, 2021, in Blanchester, Ohio.
He is to be sentenced on Oct. 14, 2022.
He faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison and potential financial penalties.
A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati field office and its Columbus resident agency, and the FBI’s Washington field office.
Valuable assistance was also provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 18 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Share
Contributors
