Current:Home > reviewsAppeals court upholds conviction of former Capitol police officer who tried to help rioter -WealthMindset Learning
Appeals court upholds conviction of former Capitol police officer who tried to help rioter
Algosensey Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-10 07:37:55
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday upheld the conviction of a former U.S. Capitol police officer who tried to help a Virginia fisherman avoid criminal charges for joining a mob’s attack on the building that his law-enforcement colleagues defended on Jan. 6, 2021.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the government’s evidence against Michael Angelo Riley “readily supports” his conviction on an obstruction charge.
Riley, a 25-year police veteran, argued that prosecutors failed to prove a grand jury proceeding was foreseeable or that he deleted his Facebook messages to affect one. The panel rejected those arguments as “flawed.”
“Riley was a veteran Capitol Police officer concededly aware of the role of grand juries in the criminal process, and his own messages showed he expected felony prosecutions of unauthorized entrants into the Capitol building on January 6,” Judge Cornelia Pillard wrote.
In October 2022, a jury convicted Riley of one count of obstruction of an official proceeding but deadlocked on a second obstruction charge. In April 2023, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Riley to two years of probation and four months of home detention.
Riley, a Maryland resident, was on duty when a mob attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. That day, Riley investigated a report of an explosive device at Republican National Committee headquarters and helped an injured officer.
The following day, Riley read a Facebook post by Jacob Hiles, a fisherman he knew from YouTube videos. Hiles wrote about his own participation in the riot and posted a video of rioters clashing with police.
Riley privately messaged Hiles and identified himself as a Capitol police officer who agreed with his “political stance.”
“Take down the part about being in the building they are currently investigating and everyone who was in the building is going to be charged. Just looking out!” Riley wrote.
Riley deleted their private messages after Hiles told him that the FBI was “very curious” about their communications, according to prosecutors.
Hiles pleaded guilty in September 2021 to a misdemeanor charge related to the Capitol riot and was later sentenced to two years of probation.
veryGood! (5)
Related
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Former Ghana striker Raphael Dwamena dies after collapsing during Albanian Super League soccer game
- 'Barbie' movie soundtrack earns 11 Grammy nominations, including Ryan Gosling's Ken song
- Thousands flee Gaza’s main hospital but hundreds, including babies, still trapped by fighting
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- College football Week 11 grades: Michigan misses mark crying over Jim Harbaugh suspension
- The 2024 Tesla Model 3 isn't perfect, but fixes nearly everything we used to hate
- Military training efforts for Ukraine hit major milestones even as attention shifts to Gaza
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- Donald Trump Jr. returning to stand as defense looks to undercut New York civil fraud claims
Ranking
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher: AI protection was nearly 'deal breaker' in actors strike
- Chrissy Teigen Laughs Off Wardrobe Malfunction at Star-Studded Baby2Baby Gala 2023
- 3 dead, more than a dozen others injured in large Brooklyn house fire, officials say
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Britney Spears reveals her 'girl crush' on 'unbelievable' Taylor Swift with throwback pics
- Vowing to “do it for the city,” Lewiston soccer team wins state title weeks after mass shooting
- With both homes at war, a Ukrainian mother in Gaza struggles to find new place to go with her 5 children
Recommendation
Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
Newly empowered Virginia Democrats nominate the state’s first Black House speaker, Don Scott
Russia ramps up attacks on key cities in eastern Ukraine
Dog food recall expands as salmonella concerns spread to more pet food brands
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Bestselling spiritual author Marianne Williamson presses on with against-the-odds presidential run
Las Vegas hotel and casino workers reach tentative deals to avoid strike
Deion Sanders apologizes after Colorado loses to Arizona: 'We just can't get over that hump'