Oklahoma Trump supporter pleads guilty for role in US Capitol riot
A Trump supporter from Fort Gibson has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of civil disorder for going inside the U.S. Capitol three times during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot.
Jerry Edward Ryals, 27, acknowledged Friday his actions “impeded and interfered” with police efforts to protect the Capitol.
“They are tear gassing, throwing flash bangs, pepper spray, but we will not concede,” he said in a video from the bottom of the Capitol steps before going inside.
In another video, he said, “We definitely have enough people to overthrow this b----. They don’t stand a f-----chance. ... We’re working our way in slowly but surely.”
Nearly 800 people have been arrested during the ongoing investigation of the Capitol breach that forced Congress to halt the counting of Electoral College votes, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Seven Oklahomans have been charged in the investigation. Ryals is the first to plead guilty to a felony.
His sentencing was set for Oct. 18 in federal court in Washington, D.C. The maximum punishment for civil disorder is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
He already has agreed to pay $2,000 in restitution. Ryals, an apprentice electrician, drove from Oklahoma with his boss and another man to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6, 2021.
He and his boss, Anthony Alfred Griffith Sr., were first charged in February 2021.
At the rally, then-President Donald Trump told supporters, “We will never give up.”
Appearing by video, Ryals told the judge Friday he spent 10 to 15 minutes inside the Capitol the first time. He admitted he left after being confronted by police.
“You’ve indicated that by ‘we won’t concede’ that you plan on joining others in overcoming the law enforcement. Would you agree with that?” U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly asked him.
“Yes. Yes, your honor,” he said. “After about 10 minutes of people going up there, I worked my way up there.”
He admitted going inside a second time but leaving after being confronted by police again. He admitted police this time fired pepper balls at the crowd, hitting him in the shoulder.
He admitted he then went inside the Capitol a third time and walked around taking photos and videos. “It might have been 30 minutes, but to be honest it was probably less than that,” he said.
The next day on Facebook, he wrote patriots had reclaimed “our Capitol” in a monumental day in history.
“I just ask the American people to wake up if you haven’t already. Things are headed in the direction of Revolutionary war against the corruption in our government.
“Seeing millions of patriots covering the streets from Capitol Hill to the Washington monument, on both streets, sidewalk to sidewalk, showed me the true nature of the American spirit, and this corruption can go on no longer,” he also wrote. “It is our responsibility to handle this at all costs. We are not animals, we are not barbarians, we are the heart of this country, and the last ones to stand up for your freedom.”
The judge will decide his punishment. The judge noted during the hearing Friday that there was nothing indicating Ryals himself assaulted police officers.
“He’s not necessarily at the front pushing them. But the point is he’s with a crowd pushing specific officers to get in,” the judge said. “He, along with the others, moved past them ... in their effort to get in to hopefully disrupt things.”
Ryals had faced a much more serious felony count as well as misdemeanor counts. Under a plea agreement, all those counts will be dismissed at sentencing. His boss, Griffith, 57, of Fort Gibson, had planned to go to trial on his misdemeanor indictment. His attorney told the judge Friday that “plea negotiations have been reinitiated in an attempt to resolve this matter without a trial.”