WASHINGTON — A jury convicted a New Yorker who bragged he was one of the “key players” in pushing past police lines on Jan. 6 of assaulting officers and other felonies for his role in the Capitol riot.
Jurors convicted Gregory Purdy and co-defendant Robert Turner of all counts against them. For Purdy, that included three counts of civil disorder, two felony counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding police and an additional felony obstruction of an official proceeding. Turner was convicted of one count each of civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding police. Both men were also convicted of a number of misdemeanor counts.
Purdy’s brother, Matthew Purdy, was convicted of two class “B” misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building but acquitted of an additional two more serious class “A” misdemeanors for entering a restricted building or grounds.
Following their convictions, U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth granted a request by prosecutors to revoke Gregory Purdy and Turner’s release and ordered them into custody while they await sentencing. Lamberth scheduled a hearing for all three men on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m.
According to charging documents, Purdy and other members of his family, including his brother and father – a former Republican candidate for New York State Assembly who is also named Greg and who has not been charged in connection with the riot – traveled to Washington, D.C., on a chartered bus on January 6. Once there, investigators said, Purdy helped lead the charge against police.
“Today my group and I were key players in conducting peaceful pushes,” Purdy wrote on social media. “The game plan was to talk [to] the officers and tell them to STOP FOLLOWING ORDERS AND UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION… When they didn’t listen we pushed through (without hurting them of course) we did these peaceful pushes all the way into the capital [sic] building.”
In another post, Purdy wrote, “Peep my war cry at the end as we push through this riot team after they didn’t listen to us.”
In still another post, Purdy wrote, “This was after the last videos after we successfully got through their first force!!! Look at the f****** blood on the ground.”
Investigators were able to find numerous videos posted by Purdy both outside and inside the Capitol building – including one captioned “Inside the capital [sic] getting teargassed!” – as well as cell phone video allegedly capturing a conversation between Purdy and Turner on their way back to New York.
“We’re getting everybody pumped up… six, five, four, three, two,” Purdy said, allegedly recalling the events of the day.
“When you hit one, I turned around and I bum rushed them. I knew you were bum rushing them too,” Turner allegedly said.
Purdy also said he believed it was his job to “uphold the Constitution and do a f****** rebellion,” to which Turner allegedly responded, “I called for a revolution, yes. A revolution.”
Gregory Purdy was represented at trial by Florida-based attorney Dylan Barket. Turner was represented by Texas-based attorney George Pallas. Matthew Purdy was represented by Melissa Isaac, an Alabama National Guard JAG attorney and Montgomery-based lawyer who had been representing all three men until April, when Gregory and Turner decided to seek new counsel ahead of trial.
In the 41 months since the Capitol riot, more than 1,400 people have been charged with crimes ranging from disorderly conduct to seditious conspiracy. Of those, more than 800 have pleaded guilty and another 170 have been convicted at trial.