WASHINGTON — A Virginia man who bragged about destroying media equipment during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty last week in federal court to two felony counts.
Joshua Dillon Haynes, 40, of Covington, Virginia, entered a plea of guilty Friday to one count of obstruction of an official proceeding and once count of destruction of property, both felonies. According to his plea deal, Haynes could face 27-33 months in prison at sentencing on Jan. 31.
Haynes was identified in photographs from the riot joining a mob that caused tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to cameras, tripods, lights and other equipment being used by media on Capitol grounds. In one photograph, Haynes can be seen lifting and preparing to slam a large light onto the ground. Haynes also helped two other individuals remove a window air conditioning unit from a building outside the U.S. Capitol and drop it onto the ground.
In a message to a friend, Haynes bragged, “We attacked the CNN reporters and the fake news and destroyed tens of thousands of dollars of their video and television equipment.”
In another message to the same person, Haynes wrote, “I want to get busted for tearing up the nations capital and the fake news.”
Haynes also entered the U.S. Capitol Building and was photographed with other rioters inside the Crypt – something he described in yet more messages.
“I mean we broke down the doors and windows and just went the f*** in,” Haynes wrote in one message.
On Feb. 14, 2021, Haynes sent the same friend an image of an FBI wanted poster with a picture of him on Capitol grounds near damaged media equipment and wrote, “Erase immediately.”
As part of his guilty plea, Haynes agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol to offset part of the approximately $2.7 million in damage caused by the riot.
WUSA9 reporter Jordan Fischer will be in court throughout the trial providing daily coverage. Follow him on Twitter at @JordanOnRecord and subscribe to our weekly newsletter “Capitol Breach” for all the latest Jan. 6 coverage.