Southern Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty for Actions During Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Riot
Washington D.C. (KROC-AM News)- A southern Minnesota man has entered a guilty plea to settle a case against him that stems from the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
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That’s according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He’s one of more than 1,400 people to be charged in the 40 months following the riot.
Federal court documents accuse 34-year-old Paul Orta Jr. of being in a crowd of rioters who overwhelmed law enforcement to enter the capitol grounds.
The Blue Earth man was seen taking two bike racks used as barricades by Capitol Police and throwing them over the side of a wall, the news release says.
Orta and the crowd continued forward until they were blocked by a group of retreating law enforcement. He then hurled an object towards the officers, the federal prosecutors allege.
Officers then formed another barricade using bike racks and Orta made contact with law enforcement as he pushed the rack towards the officers, officials say.
He’s then seen climbing on top of a concrete wall and raising his fist in the air after he and the crowd that broke through the police line, according to federal court documents.
Federal authorities arrested Orta in Minnesota in November of 2023. He pleaded guilty to a felony civil disorder charge in Washington D.C. on Tuesday.
Orta is scheduled to be sentenced in October.
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