Maryland man going to prison for violent felony actions during Jan. 6 breach of U.S. Capitol

A Baltimore man was sentenced in the District of Columbia this week on a felony charge related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.  Narayana Rheiner, 42, of Baltimore, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich to 15 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution. Rheiner pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder on November 4, 2022.

On January  6, 2021, Rheiner was part of a mob illegally massed on the Upper West Plaza of the Capitol. Law enforcement officers there were maintaining a police line to prevent the mob from advancing further. At approximately 2:04 p.m., Rheiner went to the front of the mob, and waved other rioters to come forward, yelling at them to “push up” against the police line.

He pushed against officers and grabbed an officer’s riot shield. He pulled the riot shield out of the officer’s hands, causing the officer to fall down several stairs onto the ground. ~ DoJ

Shortly afterwards, Rheiner entered the Capitol through the Upper West Terrace door. He and other rioters proceeded to the Rotunda area and joined a group that was yelling at officers and attempting to gain access to a hallway that was blocked by officers. Officers deployed chemical irritants to disperse the rioters and Rheiner yelled at them, “You know how many times I’ve been sprayed today? That s— ain’t nothing!”

He also yelled, “Why don’t you just go home!”  Rheiner stood within inches of an officer and said “We’re not backing up!”  When another officer said, “this is not the right way,” Rheiner responded “It is the right way. We got to send a message.” Rheiner ultimately left the Capitol building through a broken window at about 2:57 p.m.

In the 31 months since January  6, 2021, more than 1,106 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

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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(Cover photo of Narayana Rheiner, Image credit: DoJ)
(Source:  Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia)

~ Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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