Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

DOJ Press

Defendant Sprayed Fire Extinguisher at Officers,
Illegally Entered Capitol Office, Tore Open a Box, Went Through Papers

Memphis, TN – A Kentucky man pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement officers with a 
dangerous weapon – a fire extinguisher – during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His 
actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to 
ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Nicholas James Brockhoff, 21, of Covington, Kentucky, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to 
assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers with a dangerous weapon.

According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Brockhoff illegally entered the Capitol grounds, 
joining a mob on the West side of the Capitol. At approximately 2:32 p.m., he threw an object from 
his position on the West Terrace towards law enforcement officers. During the confrontation with 
law enforcement officers, he also discharged the contents of fire extinguishers on multiple 
occasions and from at least two different locations. Each time he did so, law enforcement officers 
dispersed, interfering their ability to control the crowd.


Additionally, during the afternoon, while very close to the Lower West Terrace tunnel, Brockhoff 
obtained a helmet belonging to an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He wore 
the helmet like a trophy throughout the afternoon, including when he entered a Senate Conference 
room of the Capitol from a broken window. Brockhoff moved into a hallway and then helped kick a 
door leading to the entry into another conference room. From inside the conference room, while 
still wearing the MPD helmet, Brockhoff tore open a box and went through papers in the office. He 
eventually left the Capitol through a broken window.


Brockhoff was arrested on May 27, 2021, in Counce, Tennessee. He is to be sentenced on March 24, 
2023. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. A 
federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing 
Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the 
Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance 
was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the U.S. 
Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Brockhoff as 
#255 on its seeking information photos, the FBI’s Louisville Field Office and its Covington, 
Kentucky Resident Agency, and the FBI’s Memphis Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by 
the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division, the Metropolitan Police Department, the 
U.S. Capitol, and the Hardin County, Tennessee, Sheriff’s Department.

In the 21 months since Jan.6, 2021, more than 880 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 
states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 270 individuals charged 
with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.  The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at 901-544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow@WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.

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