Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay

May 10, 2023 - WASHINGTON – An Idaho man was sentenced today on a felony charge for his actions 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.

Josiah Colt, 34, of Meridian, Idaho, was sentenced to 15 months in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding. Colt pleaded guilty on July 14, 2021. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered 36 months of supervised release and $1,000 in restitution.

According to court documents, shortly after 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, crowd members who were gathered outside the Capitol forced entry into the building, ultimately causing the Joint Session to be stopped and Members of Congress, including the Vice President, to be evacuated from the House and Senate Chambers.  According to his guilty plea, as Members were subject to evacuation, Colt entered the Capitol and made his way to the Senate Chamber, where he followed other individuals who forced their way past U.S. Capitol Police into the Senate Gallery—shortly after Senators had been evacuated.  Colt then jumped from the Gallery to the Senate floor and ran to a chair reserved for the Senate President, the Vice President of the United States. 

Later that day, Colt posted a video to Facebook in which he called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a traitor and claimed to be the first person who breached the Capitol to sit in her chair.  In fact, Colt had occupied the chair in the Senate reserved for the Senate President. 

According to court papers, Colt traveled to Washington, D.C. with Nathaniel DeGrave and Ronald Sandlin, who have been charged and sentenced separately in connection with the Capitol breach.  In preparation for his travel, Colt purchased a holster for a Glock .43 pistol he owned, a gas mask, and a helmet.  Together with Sandlin and DeGrave, the trio brought gas masks, helmets, shin guards, body armor, a handheld taser/stun gun, an expandable baton, walkie talkies, knives, bear mace, and Colt’s Glock .43 pistol with them to the Washington Metropolitan Area.  On Jan. 6, Colt left his firearm at his hotel but donned the protective gear described above and wore it into the Capitol. 

This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division. It was investigated by the FBI's Washington and Salt Lake City Field Offices. 

In the 28 months since Jan. 6, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, including more than 320 individuals charged with assaulting, resisting, 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.