Topline
George Tanios, one of two men indicted for attacking three Capitol Police officers at the January 6 insurrection—including Brian Sicknick, who later died—pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges, including entering restricted grounds and disorderly conduct.
A West Virginia man who was indicted on counts of attacking Capitol Police officers at the Jan. 6 … [+]
Key Facts
Tanios, who was initially charged with felonies connected to assaulting police and conspiring to injure police, faces a fine of up to $20,000 and up to six months in jail for the misdemeanor charges, according to a plea deal reached Wednesday.
Federal prosecutors allege Tanios, 40, of West Virginia, along with Julian Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, sprayed Capitol officers with a chemical agent, days before Sicknick died of natural causes following a series of strokes—but prosecutors did not suggest the spray killed Sicknick.
Tanios is scheduled for a sentencing hearing in federal court on Dec. 6, while Khater is currently in plea negotiations on counts of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon for allegedly spraying Sicknick with bear spray, and is set for an Oct. 5 trial.
Key Background
In a video from the Capitol riot released last April, Khater is heard telling Tanios to “give me that bear s**t,” as the two approached officers on their way to the Capitol building appearing to hold a spray canister. Tanios was arrested in West Virginia in March 2021, and pleaded not guilty a month later to all felony counts. Khater and Tanios are two of more than 850 suspects who have faced charges related to the insurrection, which injured 140 law enforcement officers and caused $2.5 million in damage to the Capitol. Roughly 90 people have been charged with seriously injuring or using dangerous weapons on officers, according to the Department of Justice.
Further Reading
2 Indicted For Spraying Officer Sicknick With Chemicals—But Not For Killing Him (Forbes)
Man accused in assault of U.S. Capitol officer Sicknick pleads guilty to lesser charges (Reuters)
Americans Still Blame Trump For The Insurrection — And Think Democracy Is Under Threat, Polls Find (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/07/27/man-accused-of-assaulting-officer-brian-sicknick-in-jan-6-riot-pleads-guilty-to-misdemeanors/