Prosecutors have charged at least 234 people for their alleged roles in the riot.
America watched as hordes of rioters on January 6 — crushing through windows, pressing up stairways, and sending lawmakers and law enforcement running for their lives. The flood of protesters who streamed into the Capitol that day left federal authorities with an equally immense task: finding and charging those responsible. Last month, acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said, «The scope and scale of this investigation in these cases are really unprecedented, not only in FBI history but probably DOJ history.» So far, federal prosecutors say they’ve charged approximately 234 people for their alleged roles in the riot and opened over 400 investigations into possible criminals. As law enforcement continues to round up alleged attackers, here’s what CBS News has learned about the people who were arrested: A DOJ spokesperson told CBS News that as of Friday, federal authorities had charged approximately 234 people. CBS News has reviewed the charging documents of 218 federal defendants,60 of whom have been indicted, whose cases have been made public in federal court. The FBI told CBS News on Thursday that 40 people have been arrested for assault on law enforcement officers. The crime carries penalties ranging from one to 20 years, depending on the circumstances of the assault. While many of the alleged rioters were initially charged with minor crimes such as misdemeanor trespassing, prosecutors have continued to add serious felony charges to those cases as evidence became available. Sherwin said that «almost all» of the cases federal prosecutors have charged involved «significant federal felonies» with potential sentences ranging from five to 20 years. Federal prosecutors charged at least 83 people with «violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds,» a crime that carries a possible sentence of no more than six months in prison, or up to five years if paired with a weapons violation.
