Kentucky Man Sentenced to Prison on Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach (original) (raw)

WASHINGTON – A Kentucky man was sentenced to prison on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, on two felony charges related to his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Damon Michael Beckley, 55, of Cub Run, Kentucky, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 restitution by U.S. District Chief Judge James E. Boasberg. Beckley was convicted of obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder, both felonies and several misdemeanors, at a stipulated trial on Feb. 23, 2023.

According to court documents, Beckley traveled from Kentucky to Washington, D.C., “to protest . . . a stolen election” on Jan.6, 2021. At approximately 2:27 p.m. on January 6th, Beckley entered the Capitol via the East Rotunda Doors—only one minute after the doors were first breached—while police officers were attempting to protect the building from the mob. Beckley was among the first group of rioters to breach the building through the East Rotunda Doors.

Beckley made his way to a hallway just outside the House Chamber doors at approximately 2:30 p.m. There, Beckley reached the front of a mob facing off against a line of police guarding the House Chamber. The mob, with Beckley still at the very front, violently pushed their way through the line of Capitol police officers, gaining access to the vestibule outside the House Chamber door.

Beckley made physical contact with an officer while making his way into the vestibule. He surged forward alongside the mob, successfully breaking the police line, as he advanced toward the House Chamber door. Beckley, still at the front of the mob, observed rioters breaking the glass panels of the House Chamber door and threatening members of Congress.

Inside the House Chamber, officers drew their weapons and barricaded the doors in an attempt to prevent Beckley and the mob from breaching the House Chamber, where members of Congress and others remained inside. Beckley remained just outside the House Chamber door, urging police to let the mob into the House Chamber. Police eventually forced Beckley away from the House Chamber. While being removed from the area, Beckley turned around, got in a police officer’s face, and yelled, “[D]on’t push on me, man, I’m moving!

After officers forced the crowd to clear the area of the House Chamber, Beckley exited the Capitol via the East Rotunda Doors at approximately 2:57 p.m. Later, while outside the building, he recorded a selfie video in which he stated, “Just came out of the Capitol building. Had a nine-millimeter pointed in my face by the fools in this Congressional Chamber.”

Beckley reentered the Capitol via the East Rotunda Door at approximately 3:15 p.m. and joined a crowd congregating between the East Rotunda Door and the Rotunda. He was eventually forced out of the Capitol at approximately 3:30 p.m. While still on Capitol Grounds just outside the East Rotunda Doors, Beckley gave an interview in which he proclaimed, “We’re not putting up with this tyrannical rule. If we gotta come back here and start a revolution and take all of these traitors out, which is what should be done, then we will.”

The FBI arrested Beckley on Jan. 16, 2021, in Cub Run.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky provided valuable assistance.

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