Jury finds former US Army reservist guilty in Capitol riot case News
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Jury finds former US Army reservist guilty in Capitol riot case

A federal jury Friday found a former US Army reservist and security contractor at a Navy base guilty for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol.

Timothy Hale-Cusanelli was found guilty on all five counts: first, obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony; second, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds; third, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; fourth, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a capitol building; and fifth, parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building. 

Court filings by the US Department of Justice claimed that Hale-Cusanelli was a “white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer.” The prosecution argued that Hale-Cusanelli had a troubled past and was known for expressing offensive opinions; however, Hale-Cusanelli’s attorney said that one of the events brought up was found to have involved self-defense or defense of another.

Hale-Cusanelli told the jury that he did not believe the anti-Semitic words he spoke because he was “half-Jewish and half-Puerto Rican,” in support of his claim that the words were a form of “self-deprecating humor.”

Hale-Cusanelli’s was the fifth trial before a jury that concerned the Capitol attack. US District Judge Trevor McFadden will sentence him on September 16.

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