Haynes Sentenced for Jan. 6 Capitol Equipment Damage

WASHINGTON – Joshua Dillon Haynes, a 40-year-old from Covington, Virginia, received a 32-month prison sentence for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach where he destroyed media equipment, authorities reported today.

Haynes pleaded guilty on October 28, 2022, to obstruction of an official proceeding and destruction of property. The U.S. District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan also ordered him to pay restitution and be under supervised release for 36 months.

Court documents indicate that Haynes was part of a mob on the Lower West Terrace outside the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. He entered the building through the Senate Wing Door and walked through areas including the Crypt and a U.S. Senator’s office. Outside, he helped rip an air conditioning unit from its mount and drop it to the ground.

Haynes participated in the destruction of media equipment outside the Capitol, where rioters forced media members to flee without retrieving their gear. He was photographed destroying cameras, tripods, and broadcasting equipment. Afterward, he texted an associate about his actions, boasting of the damage done to CNN’s equipment and expressing a desire to be caught for his crimes.

Haynes was arrested on July 1, 2021. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and local law enforcement.

Since Jan. 6, 2021, over 950 individuals have been arrested across the country for related offenses, including nearly 300 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation into the Capitol breach is ongoing.