Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay
Defendant smashed glass of the Senate Wing Door windowpane and window, allowing the mob to climb into Capitol Building
September 9, 2023 – WASHINGTON – A Pennsylvania man was found guilty in the District of Columbia on Friday of ten felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. 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.
Leo Brent Bozell IV, 44, of Palmyra, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of 10 charges, including five felonies. The verdict followed a bench trial before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates, who scheduled a sentencing hearing for January 9, 2024.
According to the government’s evidence, Bozell attended the rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021, then proceeded to the Capitol grounds. Bozell, also known as Zeeker, was wearing a red and white hat and a distinctive blue sweatshirt emblazoned with “Hershey Christian Academy” across the front. Bozell was caught on video and in photos Bozell ransacking inside the U.S. Capitol.
After the rally, Bozell marched with the crowd to the Capitol grounds and made his way past police barriers. Bozell approached the Northwest Stairs, lined with bike racks and police officers trying to prevent the mob from accessing the Capitol. Bozell used a bike rack as a makeshift ladder to ascend to the landing platform. Once there, Bozell waved others up the steps as he stood face-to-face with United States Capitol Police (USCP). While at the front of the mob, another rioter coordinated the crowd by yelling, “ARE YOU READY TO PUSH? LET’S PUSH! . . . PUSH!” The rioters – Bozell at front – barreled through the police line. Once at the top of the stairs, the mob overtook another police line, gaining a path to the Capitol building.
When Bozell reached the Senate Wing doors, Bozell bashed an exterior windowpane ten times with a hard object, causing it to crack and break. Bozell moved a couple feet over to another window directly north of the Senate Wing Door and bashed that window eleven times until glass shattered. At about 2:15 p.m., Bozell, with scores of other rioters, clambered through the window that he helped break.
Bozell and other rioters marched towards the Senate Wing as nearby Senate staffers hurried away from the mob. A USCP officer responded to the breach. The mob, Bozell included, chased the officer up a staircase. The responding officer led the rioters into the Ohio Clock Corridor where a line of other officers awaited. Bozell separated from the group and made his way down a hall and entered a meeting room for Senators.
Around that time, two USCP Officers checking rooms for staffers in hiding discovered Bozell in the room. The officers escorted Bozell out, and he rejoined the rioters in the Ohio Clock Corridor and walked deeper into the Capitol building eventually making his way to the Office of the Speaker of the Senate, Nancy Pelosi. As he exited the Speaker’s office, Bozell appeared to be carrying something in his hand. He proceeded to the Rotunda doors where he joined the rioters to force the doors open, allowing another flood of rioters into the building.
Soon after, Bozell was videoed on the balcony of the U.S. Senate Chamber. As the mob chanted “Treason! Treason!” Bozell unpacked a bag that he found filled with emergency supplies. While still in the Senate Gallery, he climbed over railings and reached a pair of CSPAN cameras. Bozell pointed one camera at the ground, obstructing its recording ability, just as rioters made it to the Senate Floor. Bozell made it to the Senate floor shortly thereafter.
Bozell left the Capitol Building at 3:07 p.m. having spent almost an hour inside.
Bozell was arrested on Feb. 21, 2021, in Palmyra, Pennsylvania.
On April 26, 2023, a grand jury returned a ten-count indictment charging Bozell with five felonies: obstructing an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; two counts of destruction of government property and aiding and abetting; civil disorder; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers; as well as various misdemeanors, including entering and remaining in a restricted building and grounds.
The felony obstruction charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison and potential financial penalties. The misdemeanor offenses carry a combined statutory maximum of 3 ½ years of incarceration and potential financial penalties. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Harrisburg Field Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,146 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 398 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
