Skip to main content

Jan. 6 rioter who took beer from Pelosi's office pleads guilty

Share

An Oklahoma man who took a beer from U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office during the January 6 insurrection pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor offense.

Andrew Ericson, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of illegally protesting inside the US Capitol, which has become a standard charge for rioters who aren't accused of any violent activity.

As part of his plea, Ericson acknowledged that he "took a beer out of a mini refrigerator" that was located "inside the Speaker's Conference Room or other office space," according to court documents unsealed on Thursday. He was never specifically charged with stealing the beer.

He live-streamed from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, which some of his followers recorded and shared with the FBI, according to court filings. A public Facebook post containing a clip from Ericson's Snapchat shows him pulling a bottle of Corona Light from a mini refrigerator.

The crime of illegally demonstrating in the Capitol could land Ericson in jail for up to six months, though he'll likely receive far less than that. Defendants rarely get the maximum punishment, and similarly situated rioters who pleaded guilty to the same charge have received probation.

His sentence will be handed down by district Judge Trevor McFadden on December 10.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 615 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol insurrection, and 75 have pleaded guilty, according to CNN's latest tally of court filings.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

How do you navigate the social media minefield with your kids?

Growing fears about social media's harm have sparked lawsuits against social media companies from hundreds of school districts in the United States and now Canada. CTVNews.ca wants to know whether your children are addicted to social media or if you have concerns about their usage of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and X.

Local Spotlight

N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49

A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.

Record-setting pop tab collection for Ontario boy

It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.