Patrick E. McCaughey III, Capitol Breach, Washington DC, 2021

Related Federal Cases

Capitol Breach: Moynihan Gets 21 Months · New York
New York Man Pleads Guilty to Capitol Breach Charges · New York
Letitia James, Defends 14th Amendment, Washington D.C., 2023 · Arizona
James Battles Banks Over $5.8B Overdraft Rip-Off, Washington, 2023 · Arizona
Letitia James Fights DHS Deportation Attempt, Washington DC, 2023 · Rhode Island

Table of Contents

Defendant Sentenced for Capitol Breach

A Connecticut man was sentenced to 90 months in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Patrick E. McCaughey III, 25, of Ridgefield, Connecticut, was found guilty of seven felony charges, including aiding or abetting assault on law enforcement officers and obstruction of an official proceeding.

McCaughey was also convicted of two misdemeanor charges: disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building and committing an act of violence in the Capitol Building or grounds. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden ordered 36 months of supervised release and restitution of $2,000.

According to the government’s evidence, on January 6, 2021, McCaughey traveled to Washington, D.C. from Connecticut and broke through a police line at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. He then scaled the Southwest scaffolding and staircase, converging with co-defendants Tristan Chandler Stevens and David Mehaffie at the tunnel created by the inaugural platform structure on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol Building.

At the Lower West Terrace, officers of the U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department guarded the entrance door to the Capitol from the mob, including McCaughey, Stevens, and Mehaffie, for several hours. The three defendants attempted to break into the building by directing other rioters, participating in heave-hos against the police line, using riot shields stolen from the Capitol Police, and assaulting three specific officers.

McCaughey was arrested on January 19, 2021, in South Salem, New York. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the District of Connecticut. The case is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven, Albany, and Washington Field Offices, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 27 months since January 6, 2021, over 1,000 individuals have been arrested in connection with the Capitol breach. The FBI’s Washington Field Office identified McCaughey as #62, Stevens as #64, and Mehaffie as #86 on its seeking information photos.