WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A Maine native who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol could face more serious criminal charges than those he agreed to plead guilty to.
Glen Mitchell Simon of Jefferson, Georgia, and formerly of Minot, was initially charged with four misdemeanor counts, including entering the president's temporary residence and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Witnesses reported to the FBI the day after the riots that Mitchell had posted photos on his now-deleted Facebook page showing him inside and in front of the U.S. Capitol building, as well as video of him in the building saying, "We weren't invited. We broke in here," according to an affidavit by an FBI special agent investigating the riots.
Both witnesses, who were not identified, reported to the FBI that Simon had recently moved. The FBI determined he lived in Jefferson, Georgia, but were unable to locate him there, according to the affidavit.
When they contacted him by phone, Simon allegedly admitted he was the person in the photos outside the Capitol building but denied he entered the building.
The U.S. Capitol Police/Threat Assessment Section determined, however, that Simon is the person in the videos and found video surveillance footage showing someone they believe to be Simon entering the Capitol building at the West Front, Senate side of the building and walking toward the Crypt, as well as video of him inside the Statuary Hall 20 minutes later, and inside the Rotunda 40 minutes after entering the building.
He was arrested on May 5, 2021, in Gainesville, Georgia.
As part of a plea agreement, Simon pleaded guilty in October 2021 to one count of "parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building" and was scheduled for sentencing in January.
But earlier this month, prosecutors asked to continue the change of plea hearing to allow time to review a newly-discovered cell phone video.
As reported by the Sun Journal, on Jan. 4, 2022, the Los Angeles Times released a "helmet-cam" video taken by a photojournalist that allegedly shows Simon throwing an object and pushing against a barricade.
The actions are described by Twitter user @SomestimesUsefu2.
The government has since revised the plea offer to allow a plea of guilty to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, according to court documents.
A status hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.