Earlja J. Dudley, Attempting to Obstruct Law Enforcement, New Jersey 2020

A Mercer County man has been sentenced for attempting to set a police vehicle on fire during a civil disorder in Trenton.

Earlja J. Dudley, 28, of Trenton, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to obstruct, impede, or interfere with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder affecting commerce.

On May 31, 2020, a group of individuals rioted in downtown Trenton, smashing store fronts, looting stores, and attacking multiple marked Trenton Police vehicles. A City of Trenton street camera and other video footage captured Dudley and an unidentified male attempting to set a police vehicle on fire.

Dudley pleaded guilty on May 19, 2021, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force in Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. Officers of the Trenton Police Department, the New Jersey State Police, and the New Jersey Department of Corrections also assisted in the investigation.

Dudley is the fourth of four individuals charged in connection with the May 31, 2020 protest in Trenton to have entered a guilty plea. Defendant Killian F Melecio was sentenced in June of 2021 to a term of 28 months imprisonment and three years supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig thanked the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation and credited the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force for their work in bringing Dudley to justice.

Dudley’s defense counsel, Lisa Van Hoeck, represented him in the case.

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