November 14, 2024 – WASHINGTON – A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to prison today after he was previously convicted of multiple felony and misdemeanor offenses, including assaulting law enforcement with a deadly or dangerous weapon 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.
Terry L. Allen, 65, of Spring Mills, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta to 24 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution.
Allen was sentenced on felony convictions of civil disorder, assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, and engaging in physical violence in a restrict building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
In addition to the felonies, Allen was also found guilty of two misdemeanor offenses: disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
According to court documents and evidence presented during the trial, on Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol security cameras captured Allen in Washington, D.C., near Garfield Circle at 12:43 p.m., before the Capitol’s restricted perimeter was breached. By about 12:53 p.m., Allen had moved toward the barriers around the Capitol building and crossed a line of bike rack barricades near snow fencing marked with "Area Closed" signs, using his flagpole to hit the fencing. Shortly after a nearby breach at Peace Circle, Allen and other rioters advanced further, reaching the West Plaza by 12:58 p.m.
At the West Plaza, Allen climbed onto a low wall to observe rioters clashing with police, who had established a defense line behind fencing set up for the inauguration. When the crowd overpowered this line around 12:59 p.m., Allen jumped down and moved toward the scaffolding on the Southwest Stairway. By 1:01 p.m., Allen and other rioters had removed bike racks used as barricades, pushing them into the crowd. In an interaction with an officer, Allen was seen gesturing aggressively and raising his arms in a combative manner.
Allen then moved closer to the police line where bike racks had been removed, creating direct contact between officers and rioters. At 1:05 p.m., he approached officers on a raised platform in the West Plaza, where he appeared to engage officers in a tense exchange. Moments later, he shoved two officers before being pushed back into the crowd. Allen then used his flagpole to reach toward objects on the ground, likely items belonging to officers, before repositioning the flagpole and jabbing it at officers’ torsos multiple times. This action prompted officers to note that someone in the crowd was "using the flag as a spear."
Even after engaging in these confrontations, Allen remained on Capitol grounds. By 1:10 p.m., more Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers arrived to reinforce Capitol Police, forcing rioters back and reestablishing a police line with bike racks. At 1:13 p.m., Allen approached this line, removing sections of fencing and carrying them back into the crowd.
Around 1:38 p.m., Allen returned to the front lines on the West Plaza, armed with both his wooden flagpole and a metal bar resembling part of the removed fencing. As a physical altercation erupted between rioters and officers along the police line, Allen adopted a stance indicative of a potential assault, positioning his flagpole and metal bar parallel to the ground and aimed at officers. When officers deployed pepper spray, Allen turned sideways, wound up, and hurled the metal bar at the police line, striking at least one officer.
The FBI arrested Allen on July 6, 2023, in Pennsylvania.
This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 46 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,561 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 590 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.
Case Number
23-mj-00151
Location of Arrest
Spring Mills, Pennsylvania
Charges
See Documents
Case Status
Complaint Filed - 06/30/2023
Arrested - 07/06/2023
Associated Documents
Allen Complaint [PDF, 227 KB]
Allen Statement of Facts [PDF, 3 MB]
Source & photos: DOJ Release
