Matthew Ryan Miller seen with a bottle of water, left, and spraying the contents of a fire extinguisher at officers guarding the Lower West Terrace tunnel on Jan. 6: FBI
Staff Report –
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Maryland man who was among the youngest charged with participating in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was sentenced Tuesday to nearly three years in prison.
Matthew Ryan Miller, 23, of Cooksville, Maryland, was sentenced in the District of Columbia for assaulting law enforcement officers and obstructing an official proceeding during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions helped disrupt a joint session of Congress convened to certify the electoral votes in the presidential election of 2020.
According to court documents, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, as a mob gathered on the West side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Miller threw a full beer can in the direction of the Capitol building and police protecting it. At the time, he was draped in a Confederate flag.
Miller then used a section of temporary barriers as a ladder to scale the walls of the west side of the plaza. He also assisted other rioters in scaling the walls and other architectural obstacles.
Miller and others then moved to the Lower West Terrace and close to the tunnel area leading into the building. Miller waved his hand, and said multiple times, “Come on,” as the mob chanted “Heave! Ho!” and rocked back and forth in pushing towards the tunnel entrance that Capitol Police officers were attempting to secure.
Multiple times, Miller put up his fingers and yelled, “one, two, three, push!” From this position, he also threw batteries towards the Lower West Terrace tunnel, where police were guarding the entrance to the Capitol building. Then, at about 4:55 p.m., and at his closest position to the tunnel, Miller used a fire extinguisher to spray directly into the tunnel onto police officers; several officers were impacted by this assault.
Miller was arrested on Jan. 25, 2021, in Cooksville, Maryland. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 9, 2022, to obstruction of an official proceeding and assaulting, resisting or impeding officers. Following his prison term, Miller will be placed on 24 months of supervised release. He also must pay $2,000 in restitution.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Baltimore and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 16 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Related Posts:
Before you continue, I’d like to ask if you could support our independent journalism as we head into one of the most critical news periods of our time in 2024.
The New American Journal is deeply dedicated to uncovering the escalating threats to our democracy and holding those in power accountable. With a turbulent presidential race and the possibility of an even more extreme Trump presidency on the horizon, the need for independent, credible journalism that emphasizes the importance of the upcoming election for our nation and planet has never been greater.
However, a small group of billionaire owners control a significant portion of the information that reaches the public. We are different. We don’t have a billionaire owner or shareholders. Our journalism is created to serve the public interest, not to generate profit. Unlike much of the U.S. media, which often falls into the trap of false equivalence in the name of neutrality, we strive to highlight the lies of powerful individuals and institutions, showing how misinformation and demagoguery can harm democracy.
Our journalists provide context, investigate, and bring to light the critical stories of our time, from election integrity threats to the worsening climate crisis and complex international conflicts. As a news organization with a strong voice, we offer a unique, outsider perspective that is often missing in American media.
Thanks to our unique reader-supported model, you can access the New American journal without encountering a paywall. This is possible because of readers like you. Your support keeps us independent, free from external influences, and accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for news.
Please help if you can.
American journalists need your help more than ever as forces amass against the free press and democracy itself. We must not let the crypto-fascists and the AI bots take over.
See the latest GoFundMe campaign here or click on this image.
Don't forget to listen to the new song and video.
Just because we are not featured on cable TV news talk shows, or TikTok videos, does not mean we are not getting out there in search engines and social media sites. We consistently get over a million hits a month.
Click to Advertise Here
