Retired Air Force officer who entered Senate chamber in tactical gear found guilty in Jan. 6 case
A judge on Wednesday found a Texas man guilty on six charges for entering the Capitol and the Senate chamber during the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in tactical gear.
Prosecutors said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Larry Brock, 55, spent 37 minutes inside the building, at times rifling through paperwork on senators’ desks and at one point picking up a discarded pair of plastic flex-cuffs. Brock was arrested four days after the riot.
U.S. District Judge John D. Bates found Brock guilty on one felony charge of obstructing an official proceeding and five misdemeanor charges, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds as well as disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol Building.
The Justice Department indicated in a statement that Brock will be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2023. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and financial penalties.
According to court documents, prosecutors detailed how Brock entered the Capitol at 2:24 p.m. during the riot through a set of doors leading to the Senate wing.
They said that Brock proceeded to move through the Capitol’s rotunda and crypt before entering the Senate chamber about 25 minutes after entering the building.
While in the chamber, prosecutors claimed Brock walked around the floor for eight minutes and rifled through paperwork on senators’ desks before exiting the building at 3:01 p.m.
Prosecutors also presented a variety of messages Brock sent on Facebook between the 2020 presidential election and the Capitol attack.
On Jan. 3, 2021, he wrote, “Biden won’t be inaugurated. We will ensure that on the 6th.”
The day before the riot, Brock wrote, “Our second American Revolution begins in less than two days.”
Brock’s attorney declined to comment.
The riot has led to a sprawling federal investigation. The Justice Department said it has arrested nearly 900 individuals in almost every state on charges related to the attack.
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