Pittsfield Man Sentenced to Prison in U.S. Capitol Breach
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A city man has been sentenced to prison for his actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Troy Sargent, 38, was sentenced Monday in the District of Columbia to 14 months in prison for felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol, civil disorder, and four related misdemeanor offenses, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Sargent pleaded guilty on June 27, 2022, to all six charges against him.
He and others' actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.
According to court documents, Sargent was part of a crowd of rioters illegally on the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. At approximately 2:30 p.m., he stepped forward from the crowd and swung his open hand toward a U.S. Capitol Police Officer, making contact with the officer. Immediately afterward, another officer instructed Sargent and others, "Do not start attacking people."
Thirty seconds later, at approximately 2:31 p.m., Sargent again advanced toward the front of the crowd and swung his open hand toward the same officer; this time, he made contact with someone else in the crowd. In this second incident, Sargent intended to make contact with the same officer. In a social media message later, he wrote to another person, "I got two hits in on the same rookie cop … ."
Sargent was arrested on March 9, 2021, in Pittsfield. In addition to the term of incarceration, he was ordered to complete two years of supervised release and to pay $500 restitution and a $285 special assessment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department's National Security Division are prosecuted the case, with assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
The FBI's Boston Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI's Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department
In the 23 months since Jan. 6, 2021, approximately 900 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 280 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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