Connecticut Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Weapon During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

WASHINGTON - A Connecticut man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement with a weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. 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 2020 presidential election.

Richard Markey, 38, of Wolcott, Connecticut, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon before U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta. Judge Mehta will sentence Markey on Dec. 6, 2024.

According to court documents, on Jan. 5, 2021, Markey traveled from his home in Connecticut to Washington, D.C., and on the following day, made his way toward the U.S. Capitol building along with thousands of other rioters. Markey eventually made his way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th.

At about 3:54 p.m., court documents say that Markey emerged from the riotous mob and proceeded to climb on top of other rioters in order to make his way toward the police line defending the Tunnel. From his elevated vantage point, Markey began forcibly assaulting police officers in the Tunnel. Markey assaulted police with a baton and later his fists. In one instance, Markey forcibly struck and pulled on a police shield held by two officers.

Markey then balanced himself atop the mob of rioters, grabbed the police shield again, and proceeded to kick the shield several times with considerable force. Another police officer sought to deter Markey from assaulting police using a pole; however, Markey pulled the pole from the officer's grasp, pointed it at the officer, and screamed, "Oath breaker! Oath breaker! You're not doing your f- job. Listen! I fought for this f- country."

Markey then used the pole that he wrestled away from the police to continue striking the shield held by the two police officers. Court documents say that Markey assaulted the officers with the pole by striking them with it seven distinct times and did so with such force that on the seventh strike, the pole broke. Markey struck the shield held by the two officers one final time before discarding the remaining piece. Marky continued to assault police, yelling at them, striking and pushing their shield with his hands, and later turning the shield parallel to the ground to render it ineffective.

The FBI arrested Markey on July 17, 2023, in Wolcott, Connecticut.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney's Offices for the District of Connecticut provided valuable assistance.

This case is being investigated by the FBI's Washington and New Haven Field Offices, which identified Markey as BOLO ("Be On the Look Out") 265-AFO (Assault on a Federal Officer) on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.