Man who stole police helmet 'war trophy' during Jan. 6 riot pleads guilty

Ehren Wynder
·2 min read
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UPI
The U.S. Capitol Building is seen in Washington DC on Wednesday, October 25, 2023. The U.S. Attorney's Officer said nearly 1,400 people have been charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. File photo by Pat Benic/UPI

April 13 (UPI) -- A New Hampshire man on Thursday pleaded guilty to crimes linked to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Richard Zachary Ackerman, 22, of Salem, N.H., pleaded guilty to a felony offense of civil disorder and a misdemeanor offense of theft of government property.

Prosecutors agreed to drop a second felony count of assaulting police and two other misdemeanors in exchange for his plea.

His sentence hearing is scheduled for July 25.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Ackerman traveled to Washington D.C. and sent a text message, which read, "will be going to see the action in these riots/protests" and "[i]f I get shot down there, just remember that I thought highly of you."

While on the Capitol grounds, Ackerman picked up and put on a Capitol Police officer's helmet and then made his way to a large crowd of rioters clashing with police at the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.

Ackerman reportedly picked up a water bottle and threw it at officers and was at one point sprayed with OC spray.

He traveled back to New Hampshire the next morning and texted someone that he "got maced really bad," and that he "was right in the doorway of the building," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Ackerman also texted that he "stole a SWAT Team officers helmet," which he called his "war trophy."

The FBI arrested Ackerman on June 20, 2023.

A search of his home located the stolen helmet, which had been decorated with stickers referring to Nationalist Socialist Club 131, a neo-Nazi group with autonomous chapters in the United States and abroad.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said nearly 1,400 people have been charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack, including almost 500 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.