Josiah Colt, Capitol Breach, District of Columbia 2021

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Idaho Man Pleads Guilty to Breaching the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021

WASHINGTON – An Idaho man, Josiah Colt, 34, of Meridian, Idaho, pleaded guilty today to breaching the U.S. Capitol for the purpose of obstructing Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6, 2021.

According to court papers filed today, shortly after 2 p.m. on January 6, crowd members who were gathered outside the Capitol forced entry into the building, ultimately causing the Joint Session to be stopped and Members of Congress, including the Vice President, to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers. Colt entered the Capitol and made his way to the Senate chamber, where he followed other individuals who forced their way past U.S. Capitol Police into the Gallery.

Later that day, Colt posted a video to Facebook in which he called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a traitor and claimed to be the first person who breached the Capitol to sit in her chair. In fact, Colt had occupied the chair in the Senate reserved for the Senate President.

The guilty plea was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Acting Assistant Attorney General Mark J. Lesko of the National Security Division. Colt faces up to 20 years in prison, as well as three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. As part of the plea agreement, Colt has agreed to cooperate with the Government’s ongoing investigation of the January 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

In preparation for his travel to Washington, D.C., Colt purchased a holster for a Glock .43 pistol he owned, a gas mask, and a helmet. Together with Nathan DeGrave and Ronald Sandlin, who have been charged separately in connection with the Capitol breach, Colt brought gas masks, helmets, shin guards, body armor, a handheld taser/stun gun, an expandable baton, walkie talkies, bear mace, and Colt’s Glock .43 pistol with them to the Washington Metropolitan Area.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the National Security Division. It is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Salt Lake City Field Office. In the more than 180 days since January 6, more than 535 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the January 6 Capitol breach, including over 165 individuals charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement.

Mandatory Facts: Defendant Josiah Colt pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on January 6, 2021. He faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The case is ongoing.