New Jersey Man Sentenced for Spraying Law Enforcement with OC Spray on Jan. 6

WASHINGTON – Gregory C. Yetman, 47, of Helmetta, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Yetman’s 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.

According to court documents, Yetman, an enlisted military police officer with the U.S. Army National Guard, traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan 6. 2021, and attended a rally for then-President Trump at the Ellipse.

After the rally, Yetman walked to the west side of the U.S. Capitol building and climbed a platform on the West Terrace. Here, Yetman was among a mob of rioters that had encircled a group of police officers attempting to defend the Capitol building during the civil disorder.

At approximately 2:29 p.m., as other rioters continued to assault those officers, Yetman picked up an MK-46H canister containing OC spray, held the canister under his arm and, from within the effective distance of the spray, and intentionally assaulted the same group of besieged police officers by spraying them with the OC spray.

Judge James E. Boasberg will sentence Yetman on July 22, 2024, for his felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with physical contact.

Federal investigators attempted to arrest Yetman for his conduct on January 6th on Nov. 8, 2023, but he fled into the woods on foot. Investigators subsequently located multiple firearms and significant quantities of ammunition in his residence, a loaded firearm in his vehicle, and additional firearms and weapons in a storage unit.

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 investigation remains ongoing, with over 1,385 individuals charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol.

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