Thomas F. Sibick at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 2, 2021: NAJ screen shot

Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A New York man was recently sentenced for assaulting a law enforcement officer during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, actions that threatened to disrupt a Joint Session of Congress convened to certify the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.

Thomas F. Sibick, 37, of Buffalo, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to 50 months or more than four years in federal prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $7,500.79 in restitution. Sibick pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and one misdemeanor count of theft on March 3, 2023, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Sibick made his way illegally onto the ground of the U.S. Capitol and into the mob gathered on the West Plaza. He posted a “selfie” video on Instagram depicting himself in the mob. The video pans the crowd with the caption, “Wildest experience of my life!!”

Sibick then filmed himself screaming, “Just got tear-gassed, but we’re going, baby, we’re going! We’re pushing forward now!

Court documents show that a group of U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police officers had formed a police line at one of the two glass doorways on the Lower West Terrace that lead inside the Capitol to prevent a mob of rioters from entering.

At approximately 3:08 p.m., Sibick joined a crowd of rioters in this area who were pushing against the police line, entered the tunnel, and made his way to the front of the mob. Sibick then left the crowd only to return a short while later.

At this time, court documents indicate that around 3:15 p.m., an MPD officer at the front of the police line was pulled into the crowd of rioters. Once the officer was in the mob, various members of the crowd began to assault the officer, including by tasing, kicking, punching, grabbing, and throwing objects. The officer also had his limbs restrained while a rioter attempted to remove the officer’s service weapon from the holster. Court documents say that a member of the mob threatened to take the officer’s gun and kill the officer.

While the officer was attacked, body-worn camera footage shows Sibick reaching toward the officer and forcibly removing the officer’s badge and radio. Later, court documents say that Sibick posed for a picture of himself holding and pointing to a USCP riot shield.

Sibick returned the stolen badge to federal authorities after having taken it home with him and buried it in his backyard in Buffalo. The radio was never recovered.

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. This case was investigated by the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office and Washington Field Office, which identified Sibick as BOLO (“Be On the Look Out”) #115 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 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.