Stark County man admits to entering U.S. Capitol, smoking cigarette in rotunda on Jan. 6

Cassandra Nist, The Repository
·3 min read
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A Stark County man reached a plea deal in federal court Tuesday, admitting to entering the U.S. Capitol amid the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and smoking a cigarette inside the rotunda.

John Douglas Wright, 55, of Plain Township, pleaded guilty to a single federal charge of obstruction of an official proceeding. The remaining eight counts he faced were dismissed by federal prosecutors.

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John Douglas Wright, of Plain Township, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal obstruction charge tied to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He's pictured here in a file photo.
John Douglas Wright, of Plain Township, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal obstruction charge tied to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He's pictured here in a file photo.

Wright entered his guilty plea via teleconference in front of U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C.

Wright faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. But he is expected to get some form of probation and a fine of $2,000 instead of federal prison time, according to his plea agreement.

A presentencing report is due by Oct. 31. Kollar-Kotelly set Wright's sentencing hearing for Nov. 28.

"He is accepting responsibility and we are moving forward," defense attorney Noah Munyer told the court.

Wright Indictment by Cassie Nist on Scribd

John Douglas Wright details what happened on Jan. 6, 2021

During Tuesday's hearing, Wright outlined his role.

He said he used two buses he owns (charging 100 people $50 each) to travel to Washington to the "Steal the Vote" rally just outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Wright told the court that once the buses were parked, he and a group of people walked to the east side of the Capitol to the barricade line guarded by U.S. Capitol Police and pushed forward in an attempt to breach the barricade.

The goal was to interfere with the certification of the Electoral College votes.

Wright said after pushing at the barricades, he pulled back, and opened a foldable chair so he could sit down. Wright said he needed to catch his breath because the group didn't immediately succeed.

Wright implied the barricades were breached while he was seated and catching his breath.

After the barricades went down, Wright admitted to joining the crowd and making his way inside. He said he smoked a cigarette in the rotunda and used social media before, during and after the confrontation.

According to federal prosecutors, his statements on social media included: "Set on nice bench in rotunda and had a smoke," "Yesterday was a practice run," and "I think we need to make more home visits."

Wright acknowledged that windows were broken and members of law enforcement were assaulted, but denied taking part in those aspects.

He was arrested in May.

The total amount in damage was $1.4 million, court records detailed.

The U.S. Department of Justice said that more than 850 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for participating in the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with tips can call 800-225-5324 or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Reach Cassandra cnist@gannett.com; Follow on Twitter @Cassienist

This article originally appeared on The Repository: John Douglas Wright enters guilty plea for Jan. 6 participation