Virginia man sentenced for assaulting law enforcement during capitol breach

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Joseph Brody, 24, of Springfield, Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for his role in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Brody, who pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on February 21, 2024, was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

Court documents reveal that Brody attended the former President’s rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, with friends and acquaintances. After the rally, they moved to the Capitol building, entering through the Senate Wing Door around 2:16 p.m. The group proceeded to various areas inside the Capitol, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office suite and the Senate Chamber.

Brody was involved in pushing past law enforcement personnel and taking photographs or recording in the Senate Chamber. After exiting the Capitol, Brody participated in pushing a metal barricade into a law enforcement officer and was involved in the destruction and looting of media equipment set up outside the building.

The FBI arrested Brody on September 14, 2022, in Springfield. His sentence serves as part of the ongoing efforts to hold accountable those who disrupted the joint session of the U.S. Congress on January 6, 2021.

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