PORTLAND, Maine — A man charged in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot has been found guilty by a judge in a D.C. courtroom Tuesday on all 11 counts.
Kyle Fitzsimons, 39, of Lebanon, Maine, was charged with seven felonies and four misdemeanor counts, according to court documents corroborated by a news release from the Department of Justice.
The release states Fitzsimons' was found guilty of seven felony charges:
- One count of obstruction of an official proceeding;
- Four counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers, including two involving a dangerous weapon or bodily injury;
- One count of interfering with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder;
- One count of engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.
Fitzsimons was also found guilty of four misdemeanor charges:
- Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds;
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds;
- Disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building or grounds;
- Committing an act of violence in the Capitol Building or grounds.
According to the news release, the felony charges carry a total of 91 maximum years in prison, and the four misdemeanor offenses carry a maximum of three years in prison. Both felony and misdemeanor charges carry the potential for financial penalties.
U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras announced the decision in the bench trial, without a jury, per Fitzsimons' request.
"Mr. Fitzsimons' fervent belief in the lies he was being told about the election is truly saddening, and to be sure much of the blame for the offense that day rests with the people in positions of power who spread those lies," Contreras said during the verdict.
According to the news release and earlier reporting, Fitzsimons was wearing a white butcher's jacket and a fur pelt when he "hurled an unstrung bow like a spear" at a group of law enforcement officers.
"The object hit an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department in the ballistic helmet and bounced off. Fitzsimons reached for and made forcible contact with an MPD detective immediately before another rioter sprayed him with a chemical agent," the release states. "Fitzsimons also tried to pull a fallen officer into the mob. A sergeant from the U.S. Capitol Police tried to protect the fallen officer into the mob. A sergeant from the U.S. Capitol Police tried to protect the fallen officer, and Fitzsimons grappled with him, pulling on his shield and shoulder strap, causing injuries to the sergeant's shoulder that necessitated surgery. Finally, Fitzsimons twice charged [at] the group of officers, wildly swinging his fists. He eventually retreated."
Fitzsimons was arrested Feb. 4, 2021, and is expected to be sentenced Feb. 17, 2023.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and was assisted by the Department of Justice Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maine. In addition, the case was investigated by the FBI's Boston Field office and its Portland Resident Agency, the release states.