Current:Home > NewsAppeals court upholds conviction of former Capitol police officer who tried to help rioter -Core Financial Strategies
Appeals court upholds conviction of former Capitol police officer who tried to help rioter
View
Date:2025-04-16 19:38:19
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! (92)
Related
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Georgia vs Ole Miss live updates: How to watch game, predictions, odds, Top 25 schedule
- Don’t Miss Wicked Stanley Cups at Target—Plus Magical Movie Merch From Funko Pop!, R.E.M. Beauty & More
- How to Think About Climate and Environmental Policies During a Second Trump Administration
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Real Housewives of Atlanta Star Porsha Williams Influenced Me to Buy 50 These Products
- Democracy was a motivating factor both Harris and Trump voters, but for very different reasons
- S&P 500 and Nasdaq extend rally after Fed cuts rates and hints at more ahead. Dow ends flat
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- How long do betta fish live? Proper care can impact their lifespan
Ranking
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Judge says New York can’t use ‘antiquated, unconstitutional’ law to block migrant buses from Texas
- 3 arrested on charges of elder abuse, Medicaid fraud in separate Arkansas cases
- Kentucky officer who fired pepper rounds at a TV crew during 2020 protests reprimanded
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- 2 men accused of plotting to shoot at immigrants are convicted of attempting to kill federal agents
- LGBTQ+ hotlines experience influx in crisis calls amid 2024 presidential election
- SEC showdowns with CFP implications lead college football games to watch in Week 11
Recommendation
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
A list of mass killings in the United States this year
Retired research chimps to be moved from New Mexico to a Louisiana sanctuary
A record 13 women will be governors next year after New Hampshire elected Kelly Ayotte
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Ranked voting tabulation in pivotal Maine congressional race to begin Tuesday
Kirk Herbstreit's late dog Ben gets emotional tribute on 'College GameDay,' Herbstreit cries on set
Parked vehicle with gas cylinders explodes on NYC street, damaging homes and cars, officials say