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White Plains resident William Pepe, formerly of the Dutchess County city of Beacon, was found guilty of charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6 breach following a bench trial before US District Judge Timothy Kelly, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced on Wednesday, Oct. 23.
According to federal officials, on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Pepe met with a group of around 100 other members of the Proud Boys, a group self-described as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world; aka Western Chauvinists.”
After meeting with the group in Washington, DC near the Washington Monument at around 10 a.m., the group marched away from a rally taking place near the monument and toward the Capitol building. There, Pepe and the group arrived at the Peace Circle at the edge of the building's restricted grounds at around 12:50 p.m.
According to federal officials, members of the crowd then began "violently" disassembling and trampling metal bike barriers blocking entry into the grounds. With Pepe at the front, the crowd continued charging over the barriers and marched toward the Capitol's West Plaza. As they kept going, they came across another set of metal barriers backed by a line of police officers.
At this point, Pepe began dragging away a segment of metal bike barriers along with other rioters and approached a waist-high black metal fence. He then looked right at a nearby camera and yelled. "Let's go! This is what we came for, yeah!" officials said.
To break up the crowd, officers began using pepper spray, some of which hit Pepe. He then posted a selfie-style video in which he said, "Yo, the cops pepper sprayed me and Hooks. Me and Hooks got f—ing maced. Storming that Capitol, baby!"
According to officials, at around 2:15 p.m., Pepe entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door. During his time inside, he recorded a video and sent it to fellow Proud Boys members, stating, "We did it."
After around 38 minutes inside the building, Pepe left at 2:54 p.m. through a broken window, officials said.
Pepe was arrested later in the month on Jan. 22, 2021, in White Plains. After his arrest, he was also terminated from his job as a laborer at the Metro-North train yard in the Putnam County village of Brewster.
According to prosecutors, Pepe was found guilty of:
- A felony charge of tampering with records, documents, or objects, obstructing, impeding, or interfering with law enforcement during a civil disorder;
- Misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds;
- Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds;
- Tampering with records, documents, or other objects.
He will be sentenced by Kelly on Tuesday, March 11.
Since the Jan. 6 riot, over 1,500 people have been charged in almost every state for crimes related to the Capitol breach. This includes more than 570 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
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