A man from Ottawa will spend 18 months in prison for his participation in the Capitol Riots on January 6th, 2021. According to information released by the Department of Justice 28 year old Matthew Capsel of Ottawa received a sentence of 18 months after pleading guilty to a charge of Interfering with a Law Enforcement Officer During a Civil Disorder. According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., Capsel was among rioters illegally at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol. While there, he recorded videos on social media in which he declared, among other things, “Hold the line, don’t run.” He also joined a mob of rioters on the steps to the inauguration bleachers, where he and others overtook law enforcement officers attempting to secure the area. Later, at about 6:14 p.m., after a curfew had been enacted and the National Guard had established a perimeter on the west side of the Capitol, Capsel joined another mob. He and others charged at the line of National Guard members, pushing them.
After having taken part in the riot at the Capitol, Capsel continued to post on Social Media regarding his participation in the riot. Among the posts cited by law enforcement was one in which Capsel posted ““On the 6[th] good men had to do a bad thing …”. Essentially, Capsel testified to his involvement at the capitol on January 6th via his social media posts in the wake of the riot. In addition to his 18 month prison sentence, Capsel was ordered to pay $2000 dollars in restitution and he will be required to fulfill 24 months of Supervised Release following his prison sentence.
