Washington, D.C. New Yorker Philip Sean Grillo, who took part in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, was found guilty on charges of trespassing, picketing inside the Capitol, and obstruction of an official process. He was sentenced to one year in jail on Friday.
When Grillo, 49, was taken into jail by U.S. Marshals, he made news before his sentence by boldly declaring the court, “Trump is going to pardon me.” When Grillo took off his belt after being taken into prison, NBC News published the comment.
In a long sentencing memo, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth, who oversaw the case, offered a scathing indictment of the January 6 rioters. According to him, the attack was an attempt to obstruct the peaceful transition of power, which is a cornerstone of American democracy, and to interfere with the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
On December 5, 2023, Grillo—who had previously run for the House seat now occupied by troubled Congressman George Santos—was found guilty. A recent Supreme Court decision limited the scope of a federal obstruction law, leading to the dismissal of a separate obstruction prosecution.
Judge Lamberth chastised individuals who later attempted to minimize the insurgents’ behavior and denounced them for their violent acts, which included physical attacks on police officers. The judge wrote that the nation almost lost its democracy on January 6, 2021, when a rioting mob of irate people stormed and took over the US Capitol.
The majority of the hundreds of cases that have been brought against those participating in the Capitol incident have resulted in convictions, including Grillo’s.
Grillo is the latest member of the expanding list of rioters who will be held accountable for their acts on the turbulent day of January 6.
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