Capitol rioter whose ex-girlfriend turned him in for calling her a 'moron' sentenced to 9 months in prison
Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
- A Capitol rioter whose ex-girlfriend tipped off the FBI was sentenced to 9 months in prison.
- Richard Michetti will receive 24 months of probation and has to pay $2,000 in restitution.
- His ex-girlfriend told officials he was a rioter because he called her a "moron" for not believing President Trump.
The Capitol rioter whose ex-girlfriend snitched on him after he called her a "moron" for not supporting former President Donald Trump was sentenced to nine months in prison on Tuesday, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
In addition to months behind bars, Richard Michetti of Pennsylvania will have to serve 24 months of probation and pay $2,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.
Michetti faced multiple charges, including entering a restricted building, violent entry, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and obstructing the work of Congress for his part in the Jan 6. attack — where pro-Trump supporters attempted to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election.
Prosecutors noted in court documents that Michetti was among the many Capitol rioters who taunted and harassed police. At one point he yelled at the police: "we feed your family"; "you are just taking orders"; and "we pay you," officials said in court records.
"He gesticulated at the officers and at one point briefly pinched the sleeve of one officer as the officers were trying to do their lawful duty and keep the mob from penetrating further into the building," prosecutors said.
"Michetti walked around the Rotunda until about 3:00 p.m. During this time, he yelled to officers standing in the Rotunda 'you are starting a civil war.'"
According to the DOJ, Michetti pleaded guilty to "aiding and abetting obstruction of an official proceeding" earlier this year.
Michetti was arrested this past February and later indicted for his role in the riot.
Michetti's ex-girlfriend tipped off the gave law enforcement text messages and videos a day after the attack happened and identified him in images that showed him inside the Capitol building, Insider previously reported.
"If you can't see the election was stolen, you're a moron," Richard Michetti texted his ex-girlfriend, per court records. "This is our country do you think we live like kings because no one sacrificed anything?"
"[T]he vote was fraud and trump won but they won't audit the votes," he continued.
According to an Insider database, at least 900 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection as of September.