Jan. 6 Pelosi office intruder pleads guilty

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento Republican activist and Capitol riot defendant Jorge Aaron Riley pleaded guilty to a single felony count of obstructing an official proceeding.

Riley, 45, had faced a five-count indictment that charged him with disorderly conduct, entering a restricted area and demonstrating in a Capitol building, stemming from his actions during the riot when he allegedly entered then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta on Tuesday set sentencing for Sept. 6.

“Obstruction of an official proceeding carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, as well as potential financial penalties,” the Justice Department said. “A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.”

Riley was arrested Jan. 19, 2021, in Sacramento after returning home following the riot. He had entered the Capitol along with other rioters, then bragged about his actions in a video interview later posted online, according to an FBI affidavit.

“We breached over there I think,” the affidavit quotes him as saying. “We broke windows, we went into the door, we pushed our way in, and then we just kept going further and further. … We went into, there was like a corridor building.

“We pushed our way to Nancy Pelosi’s office … and then we were sitting in there yelling ‘f*** you, Nancy Pelosi.”

The FBI says Riley posted more than 150 photographs, videos and written posts online between Jan. 6 and Jan. 8, 2021, including one stating, “Hey We’re storming the Capitol. … What are you doing?”