September 27, 2024 - WASHINGTON – Two brothers from Pennsylvania pleaded guilty on Sept. 26, 2024, to multiple felony charges stemming from their conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their 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.
Matthew Valentin, 31, of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
Andrew Valentin, 26, also of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to one felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and a second felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton will sentence the two on Jan. 17, 2025.
Related: Monroe County, Pennsylvania Brothers Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach
According to court documents, the two brothers traveled to Washington, D.C., from Pennsylvania, and were identified in an open-source video on Jan. 6, 2021, walking from the Washington Monument along Constitution Avenue towards the U.S. Capitol building. The brothers eventually made their way to the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds and climbed a media tower in the area.
The two then climbed down from the tower and joined a large crowd that had amassed on the West Plaza. There, U.S. Capitol Police had formed a protective line behind bike rack barricades. At approximately 2:29 p.m., the brothers, along with the crowd, rushed the police line while rioters yelled, “push, push, push.” The two then pushed a metal barricade into a line of Capitol Police officers.
Image 13: Screenshot from body worn camera showing Andrew Valentin (circled in red) pushing a bike rack into a line of police officers.
Image 14: Screenshot from body worn camera showing Matthew Valentin (circled in yellow) pushing a bike rack into a line of police officers.
The officers retreated and formed a new protective line on the south side of the West Plaza. Court documents say that Matthew Valentin then approached the line and sprayed a chemical irritant towards the officers. The brothers then moved from the Lower West Terrace to the Upper West Terrace, arriving at approximately 2:50 p.m. There, a group of Metropolitan Police Officers, were assisting Capitol Police Officers, and had formed a protective line. At about 3:30 p.m., members of the crowd, including Matthew Valentin, rushed the line of officers. Matthew grabbed a police baton and attempted to tear the baton out of that officer’s hands.
Later, at approximately 5:12 p.m., a group of Montgomery County Police Officers, who were then assisting U.S. Capitol Police Officers, had formed a protective line in front of a set of stairs leading from the West Plaza to the Upper West Terrace. At approximately 5:12 p.m., court documents say Andrew Valentin threw a folding chair at the line of officers, striking one officer’s shield.
Image 6: Open source image3 showing Matthew Valentin (circled in yellow) and Andrew Valentine (circled in red)
The FBI arrested the brothers on Feb. 11th and 12th, 2024, in Pennsylvania.
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 Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Middle District of Pennsylvania provided valuable assistance.
The FBI's Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. The FBI listed Matthew Valentin BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #336 on its seeking information photos. The U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Montgomery County Police Department provided valuable assistance.
In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 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
