The United States Capitol was attacked on January 6th, 2021 by people trying to keep Donald Trump in power, despite his historic loss to now-President Joe Biden.
While many have already been arrested for their role in the insurrection, federal prosecutors revealed in a new court filing on Thursday that they expect over 100 more individuals to by criminally charged for taking part in the riots.
The filing was made in the case of Michael Joseph Rusyn, who was arrested after live-streaming the Capitol attack. In the filing, the Department of Justice requested an additional sixty-day delay under the Speedy Trial Act.
To justify the delay, the DOJ explained the complexity of the case.
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“The investigation and prosecution of the Capitol Attack will likely be one of the largest in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of the evidence. Over 400 individuals have been charged in connection with the Capitol Attack. The investigation continues and the government expects that at least one hundred additional individuals will be charged,” prosecutors explained.
Prosecutors also revealed they are continuing to investigate the planning of the insurrection.
“While most of the cases have been brought against individual defendants, the government is also investigating conspiratorial activity that occurred prior to and on January 6, 2021,” prosecutors wrote. “The spectrum of crimes charged and under investigation in connection with the Capitol Attack includes (but is not limited to) trespass, engaging in disruptive or violent conduct in the Capitol or on Capitol grounds, destruction of government property, theft of government property, assaults on federal and local police officers, firearms offenses, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, possession and use of destructive devices, and conspiracy.”
Prosecutors also explained the scope of law enforcement activity.
“Defendants charged and under investigation come from throughout the United States, and a combined total of over 900 search warrants have been executed in almost all fifty states and the District of Columbia. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the response to the Capitol Attack, which included officers and agents from U.S. Capitol Police, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Secret Service, the United States Park Police, the Virginia State Police, the Arlington County Police Department, the Prince William County Police Department, the Maryland State Police, the Montgomery County Police Department, the Prince George’s County Police Department, and the New Jersey State Police,” prosecutors revealed.
“Documents and evidence accumulated in the Capitol Attack investigation thus far include: (a) more than 15,000 hours of surveillance and body-worn camera footage from multiple law enforcement agencies; (b) approximately 1,600 electronic devices; (c) the results of hundreds of searches of electronic communication providers; (d) over 210,000 tips, of which a substantial portion include video, photo and social media; and (e) over 80,000 reports and 93,000 attachments related to law enforcement interviews of suspects and witnesses and other investigative steps. As the Capitol Attack investigation is still on-going, the number of defendants charged and the volume of potentially discoverable materials will only continue to grow,” prosecutors wrote. “In short, even in cases involving a single defendant, the volume of discoverable materials is likely to be significant.”
