Florida man pleads guilty to role in Capitol riot
Donald Trump said, 'be there, be wild.' Extremists latched onto the tweet. Image via AP.

Jan. 6 riot AP (4)
Robert Flynt Fairchild Jr. pleaded guilty to civil disorder.

A Central Florida man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a felony charge related to storming the U.S. Capitol during the January 2021 insurrection.

Robert Flynt Fairchild Jr., 40, of Orlando, pleaded guilty to a civil disorder charge in District of Columbia federal court, according to court records. He faces up to five years in prison at an Aug. 22 sentencing hearing.

Fairchild was arrested in Orlando in August 2021.

According to court documents, Fairchild joined with others objecting to Democratic President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over former Republican President Donald Trump. A mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying election results, authorities said. Five people died in the violence.

According to the criminal complaint, Fairchild was part of a crowd at the Capitol’s then-restricted West Plaza. Fairchild stood at the front of the crowd and walked alongside the barriers. Prosecutors said he made multiple attempts to wrest the barriers from police officers. After the crowd moved at least two barriers, Fairchild illegally entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door.

Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, officials said. More than 250 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

___

Republished with permission of The Associated Press

Associated Press



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories