November 6, 2024 – WASHINGTON – A Utah man was sentenced to six years in prison on Tuesday after he was previously convicted of seven felonies, including assaulting law enforcement officers with dangerous weapons 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.
Odin Meacham, 30, of Myton, Utah, was sentenced to six years – or 72 months – in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge John D. Bates.
Judge Bates previously found Meacham guilty of seven felonies, including civil disorder; two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers with a dangerous weapon; assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers; engaging in physical violence on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon; disorderly conduct on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon; and entering and remaining on restricted grounds with a dangerous weapon. Meacham was also convicted of a misdemeanor offense of act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
According to evidence presented during the trial and court documents, on Jan. 5, 2021, Meacham, a resident of Myton, Utah, embarked on a 30-hour, 2,000-mile journey to Washington, D.C., to attend events related to the certification of the 2020 presidential election. On the morning of January 6th, Meacham attended the "Stop the Steal" rally, where the former President addressed the crowd. Following the rally, Meacham, along with thousands of other rioters, marched to the U.S. Capitol building.
Upon reaching Capitol grounds, Meacham bypassed the initial barriers and moved with the crowd of rioters to the West Plaza, where another line of barricades and police officers held the line against advancing rioters.
At 2:10 p.m., Meacham rushed towards several police officers guarding the West Plaza, raised a wooden flagpole over his head, and slammed the flagpole against the upper body of a Capitol Police Officer so hard that the flagpole snapped in half. Meacham then swung the broken flagpole at officers again, striking a bike rack that had been placed in front of the officers for protection.
At approximately 2:14 p.m., Meacham abandoned the broken flagpole and picked up a metal pole lying on the ground. Meacham then threw the metal pole at a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer, hitting the officer’s left hand. The evidence presented at trial showed that Meacham, after throwing the metal pole and striking the officer, proceeded to point at and taunt that same officer.
Even after two assaults with dangerous weapons, Meacham’s violent and aggressive actions continued. At 2:16 p.m., Meacham approached another MPD officer and shouted "lean in!" repeatedly, while gesturing towards the crowd in an apparent attempt to rally others to overpower the line of officers. Meacham then grabbed the officer’s baton and tried to wrestle it away.
After the altercation, Meacham remained on Capitol grounds, where he continued to verbally harass, abuse, and taunt officers. His comments included expletives and accusations, such as "you f— pieces of s—," "you traitors," "you dogs," "you f— scumbag pieces of s—," and "are you scared, m—f—?"
The FBI arrested Meacham on May 15, 2023, in Utah.
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 District of Utah provided valuable assistance.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office’s Vernal Resident Agency and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Meacham as #400 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 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.
Attachments:
Meacham Odin Statement of Facts_redacted [PDF, 2 MB]
Meacham Odin complaint_redacted.pdf [PDF, 289 KB]
Source & photos: DOJ Release
