Ex-cop joins ‘violent, vigilant mob’ at Capitol on Jan. 6, DOJ says

WASHINGTON – A former police officer from Virginia “joyed” to cooperate with the first wave of riots, joining a “vigilant, violent mob” that caused hours of chaos at the United States Congress on January 6, 2021a federal prosecutor told jurors on Friday.

Thomas RobertsonA former Rocky Mount police sergeant and military veteran, is facing six counts: felony obstruction of formality, felony disturbance of civil order, carrying a dangerous weapon in a restricted area , disruptive and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in the Capitol building, as well as obstructing a grand jury investigation by destroying cell phones after the Capitol attack .

He was the second defendant on January 6 to appear before a jury after Guy Reffitt Has Been Convicted last month.

Robertson’s former colleague and co-defendant, Jacob Fracker, reach a plea agreement with the government last month and testified for prosecution at Robertson’s trial. Both men are Fired as soon as they were arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower told jurors at the conclusion of Friday’s argument that Robertson “placed himself in the middle of the riot” on the day of the riots, joining the “first wave of riots.” “enter the building.

With “temporary batons,” Robertson “confronted outnumbered and overwhelmed officers” at the Capitol, Berkower said.

“This defendant was part of the problem,” the prosecutor said, adding that Robertson “decided to deal with the problem on his own to get what he wanted” because he did not like the outcome of the general election. system in 2020.

“This defendant gleefully placed himself within the circle of the original rioters, who caused hours of chaos inside the Capitol,” Berkower said. and together, they all want the same thing. “

Prosecutors told jurors that the purpose of Robertson’s actions on the day of the attack was clear: for Congress to announce Joe Biden’s election victory and put Donald Trump in office for office. Monday. “The defendant entered the Capitol to overturn the election,” Berkower said.

For many Americans, January 6 is a day of shame, Berkower said, for tarnishing the image of the Capitol as a “strong symbol of democracy” around the world. “But this defendant? He raved about what happened. …He was proud of what he did, what the crowd did.”

The FBI has arrested more than 775 people in connection with the Capitol attack, and more than 225 defendants have pleaded guilty. Hundreds of other criminal cases is in the process of working.

Juries are expected to begin looking into Robertson’s fate late Friday.

“In this country, no one is above the law,” Berkower said at the conclusion of the session. “In our democracy, we don’t decide elections by a cartridge.”

at Blogtuan.info – Source: nbcnews.com – Read the original article here