WASHINGTON — A New Hampshire man who told a reporter he entered the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6 because he “just had to see it” pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to two misdemeanor counts.
Jason Riddle, of Bedford, New Hampshire, appeared before U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich to enter his plea of guilty to theft of government property and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
According to charging documents, multiple witnesses alerted the FBI after Riddle sat for an interview with the NBC-affiliate in Boston. During the interview, Riddle – who said he was a military veteran – said he made it into a lawmaker’s office, where he “poured a glass of wine and watched it all unfold.”
In a later interview with the FBI, Riddle admitted he’d wound the wine in a refrigerator in the office, and that he’d also taken a book on Senate procedure belonging to the Senate Parliamentarian. During his time inside the Capitol, Riddle also said he witnessed the Oath Keeper “stack” moving through the building “with a sense of urgency.”
Riddle was arrested in January on multiple misdemeanor counts in connection with the riot, including a charge of theft of government property for taking the book – which, Riddle told investigators, he sold on eBay for $40.
Riddle faces a maximum sentence of 1 year in prison on the theft charge, which is a Class “A” misdemeanor, and a recommended sentencing guideline of 0-6 months. He was scheduled to return to court on February 17 for sentencing.
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