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July 3, 2024 – WASHINGTON – An Illinois man pleaded guilty on July 1, 2024, to assaulting law enforcement 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.
Robin Lee Reierson, 69, of Schiller Park, Illinois, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers before U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. Judge Walton will sentence Reierson on Oct. 16, 2024.
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Reierson was among a crowd of rioters amassed on the West Plaza of the U.S. Capitol building and was positioned directly in front of an established police barricade consisting of officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the United States Capitol Police (USCP) Department.
At about 2:06 p.m., court documents say that Reierson used his back and body to push against a bike rack barrier and into the line of assembled police officers. Reierson eventually withdrew from the confrontation, but as he left the West Plaza, he told other rioters, “Don’t stop, keep going.”
The FBI arrested Reierson on Aug. 23, 2023, in Illinois.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois provided valuable assistance.
The FBI's Chicago and Washington Field Offices investigated this case. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 41 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,450 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 500 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
