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Plea Deal Possible for Capitol Rioter Dressed as George Washington


FILE - Rioters try to break through a police barrier, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.
FILE - Rioters try to break through a police barrier, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors are discussing a plea deal for a Missouri man who participated in the deadly January 6 riot on the U.S. Capitol dressed as George Washington.

Isaac Yoder, a locksmith from Missouri, has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges that include violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

At a hearing Tuesday before a district judge, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst said discussions had begun "about a possible resolution without a trial" in Yoder’s case.

The FBI said Yoder admitted to investigators in March that he entered the Capitol on January 6.

Multiple photographs have been published of Yoder dressed as the first president of the United States, presumably in the Capitol on January 6.

Authorities say about 800 Trump supporters entered the Capitol, and many of them stormed past law enforcement authorities, smashed windows, ransacked congressional offices and scuffled with police officers, 140 of whom were injured in the melee.

Many of the rioters boasted on social media of occupying the Capitol and were quickly identified by their friends and relatives, as well as by police.

To date, 615 people have been charged with an array of criminal offenses, some as minor as trespassing in a secure area. Others face more serious charges, including attacking police or vandalizing the Capitol.

About 40 of the rioters have pleaded guilty so far, with some facing potential prison sentences of three to four years. Others have been given probationary terms for minor offenses.

Some information for this report came from Reuters.

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