Staff Report –
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation is continuing to hunt down Trump supporters and arrest those who took an active role in the seditious conspiracy and insurrection by breaching the United States Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. This past week the United States Department of Justice announced an arrest of a man from Illinois and the indictment of a man from Massachusetts.
An Illinois man was arrested in Chicago on felony charges, including assaulting law enforcement officers and his actions during the breach of the Capitol that disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the accurate electoral votes in the presidential election of 2020.
Quinn Keen, 35, of Manteno, Illinois, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; civil disorder; entering and remaining, disorderly and disruptive conduct, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and, disorderly conduct; an act of physical violence; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in the Capitol grounds and buildings, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
Feds say Quinn Keen (in tan sweatshirt) kicked and pushed an MPD officer, threw a metal coffee mug at officers, and chucked a bottle at them before smoking it up in the Capitol rotunda. Here’s the video they cite:
Feds say Quinn Keen (in tan sweatshirt) kicked and pushed an MPD officer, threw a metal coffee mug at officers, and chucked a bottle at them before smoking it up in the rotunda. Here's the video they cite: pic.twitter.com/CakUA6lWQj
— Ryan J. Reilly (@ryanjreilly) April 7, 2023
According to court documents, Keen was among a large mass of people on the West grounds of the Capitol advancing toward the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, when they confronted U.S, Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department officers who had formed a protective line to stop further advances toward the Capitol. During this confrontation Keen threw what is believed to be a metal coffee mug at officers on the line, then threw the contents of a water bottle at them, followed by the bottle itself. Then as a Metropolitan Police Officer moved forward and leaned down, Keen kicked and shoved the officer.
At approximately 2:38 p.m., Keen entered the U.S. Capitol through the Upper West Terrace doors and eventually made his way to the Rotunda, where he smoked what was referred to on a video as a “joint.” He remained in the Capitol Building until approximately 3:15 pm.
This 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 Northern District of Illinois.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Chicago Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Massachusetts Man Charged with Felony for Actions Related to the U.S. Capitol Breach
A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment charging a Massachusetts man with obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the accurate electoral votes in the presidential election of 2020.
Mark Sahady, 48, of Malden, Massachusetts, was initially charged by criminal complaint with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. A superseding information, filed in March of 2022, added the charge of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building. A second superseding information, filed in March of 2023, added the charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. The indictment, filed April 5, 2023, adds the felony charge, according to a press release from the Justice Department.
According to the charging documents, Sahady is the vice president of an organization called “Super Happy Fun America,” which allegedly purports to advocate for the “straight community.”
Sahady and Suzanne Ianni are members of the right-wing, Massachusetts-based group, which first drew national attention for organizing a 2019 Straight Pride Parade in Boston. At the rally, group president John Hugo praised the two as “freedom fighters” for the roles they played on Jan. 6. The group’s leaders say they chartered six buses to ferry Trump supporters to D.C. to protest the outcome of the 2020 race. Many are now coping with the consequences of their actions.
Beginning on approximately Nov. 16, 2020, Sahady tweeted statements exhibiting a belief that the presidential election was stolen, and that people need to gather in D.C. on January 6, 2021 to respond. Photos posted on a Twitter account connected to the group show Sahady on a bus with other individuals with the caption, “Bus 1 of 11 coming to Washington DC. See you there!”
The charge of obstruction of an official proceeding carries a maximum sentence of up to twenty years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. The charges for entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds carry sentences of up to one year in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $100,000. The charges of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building carry sentences of up to six months in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $5,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the DOJ’s National Security Division, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Massachusetts.
The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Boston Field Office and Washington Field Office.
In the 27 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 320 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.
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