A Pennsylvania man, identified as Joseph Pastucci, aged 50, has been convicted for his role in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Pastucci, hailing from New Cumberland, faced the weight of justice in the District of Columbia after being found guilty on a host of charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting police officers, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
During a stipulated bench trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell, the court handed down the verdict, convicting Pastucci of three felony offenses and an additional eight misdemeanors. His conviction included entering restricted grounds, disorderly conduct, and acts of physical violence within the Capitol complex. Found alongside his co-defendant Jeanette Mangia, the couple had traveled to the capital to participate in the "Stop the Steal" demonstration. Encountered with police officers, Pastucci resisted their efforts, grappling with a piece of furniture as a shield to avoid ejection, and later shoving a Capitol Police officer in the chest and shoulder. Sentencing for Pastucci is slated for August 2.
The incidents occurring on that infamous day were part of a wave of volatility that swept across Washington, D.C., as a joint session of Congress convened to tally the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential race. Court documents revealed that Pastucci, along with Mangia, was aware Congress was certifying the election results and held the belief that the election was "stolen" from then-President Trump.
After the initial rally, the couple breached the Capitol, entering the Speaker of the House's Office Suite and the Senate Chamber, during which they were photographed rifling through documents. Subsequently confronted by law enforcement, Mangia was ejected from the building after Pastucci, and following her removal, Pastucci assaulted an officer. The FBI arrested the two on April 27, 2023, nearly a year since the Capitol siege with Mangia still awaiting her trial.
The ongoing investigation into the breach has seen over 1,385 individuals charged, spanning nearly all 50 states, and it includes close to 500 individuals accused of assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The FBI's Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices have been instrumental in this extensive investigation efforts, together with the Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department, as cited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
