A New Jersey man was found guilty in the District of Columbia today of felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. 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.
Patrick Alonzo Stedman, 35, of Haddonfield, New Jersey, was found guilty of five charges, including one felony count and four misdemeanor counts, following a trial before U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell. Stedman was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, as well as four misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing inside a Capitol building.
According to evidence presented during the trial, Stedman traveled from New Jersey to Washington, D.C., and entered the Capitol building for over 40 minutes on Jan. 6, 2021. In a series of posts to his Twitter page and in numerous videos that he recorded inside and outside the Capitol, Stedman detailed his travel to D.C. and his involvement in the Capitol breach and riots.
In one post in the early morning of Jan. 6, 2021, after he had arrived in D.C., Stedman posted “This is the Second American Revolution. I love you all for being here with me. NOW WE FIGHT!” In another post, as he was entering the building, he wrote “we have stormed the capitol.”
In a series of videos he recorded, including some posted online, Stedman discussed the details of his presence inside the U.S. Capitol, including entering the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. In one video, Stedman can be heard repeatedly chanting “break it down” outside the main door of the House of Representatives, while other rioters banged on the door, breaking glass in the window. In another video, recorded 11 minutes after he exited the building, he stated “I was pretty much in the first wave with this, and we broke down the doors and climbed up the back part of the Capitol building and got all the way into the chambers.”
Stedman’s obstruction charge carries a statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. A federal court judge will determine the appropriate sentence after considering all factors and the U.S. Sentencing guidelines.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington and Newark Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 29 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.