PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A former Republican legislative candidate who traveled to Washington for former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally was arrested Friday and charged with federal crimes for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot, officials said.
Matthew Brackley, 39, of Waldoboro, Maine, walked into the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and asked for the location of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office before yelling, “Let’s go,” prosecutors say.
He was arrested on felony charges including assault, resisting or obstructing certain officers and civil disorder, as well as multiple misdemeanors. He made his first court appearance on Friday.
It was unclear whether Brackley had an attorney, and he did not immediately respond to an email request for comment.
Brackley unsuccessfully tried to oust Democratic state senator Eloise Vitelli from Arrowsic last year. His campaign website describes him as a Maine Maritime Academy graduate whose approach is to have “respectful and thoughtful conversations about issues.”
At the Capitol, prosecutors said, Brackley led a group that repeatedly pushed officers before they were finally dispersed by chemical sprays and walked out.
More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack.
About 100 of them were convicted by juries or judges after trials, and more than 600 pleaded guilty.
More than 570 riot defendants have been sentenced, more than half of them to prison terms ranging from three days to 18 years.