Florida couple pleads guilty to participating in the US Capitol attack
Jul 24, 2023, 4:30 PM
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida couple pleaded guilty Monday to participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jamie Buteau, 50, and Jennifer Buteau, 46, both of Ocala, entered guilty pleas in District of Columbia federal court, according to court records. Jamie Buteau pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers. Jennifer Buteau pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. They’re scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 20.
According to court documents, the Buteaus joined with others in objecting to Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, authorities have said, and five people died in the violence.
According to the criminal complaint, the Buteaus entered the U.S. Capitol building through the breached door and moved with a large mob to a lobby, where Capitol Police officers became overwhelmed. At some point, Jamie Buteau picked up a chair and threw it at officers. The chair bounced off the wall and hit one officer in the arm, the complaint states.
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for alleged crimes related to the Capitol breach, according to officials. More than 350 people have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
