Gorham man pleads guilty to participating in Capitol riot
Jun. 28—A Gorham man has pleaded guilty to participating in the January 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection, admitting in a federal plea deal that he "willfully and knowingly" entered the building with other rioters.
Nicholas P. Hendrix, 35, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in the District of Columbia.
The offense carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, up to five years of probation and up to $5,000 in fines.
Prosecutors dropped charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Hendrix is one of three men with Maine ties, and second Maine resident, to face federal charges resulting from the riot. They are among the more than 400 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection.
In a written statement to the court, Hendrix said he drove from Maine to Newton, Massachusetts, on Jan. 5, 2021, and got on a bus with others heading to a political rally in Washington, D.C. He arrived at 6:30 a.m. the next day and attended the rally at the Ellipse on the National Mall.
Hendrix admitted to "willfully and knowingly" entering the Capitol through the Rotunda door with a crowd of rioters on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021.
He remains free on bail pending sentencing.
This story will be updated.
