New York Man Sentenced for Assaulting Police During Capitol Riot
WASHINGTON—A New York resident received a prison sentence today after admitting to assaulting law enforcement officers during the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. This incident occurred as Congress convened to certify the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.
James Weeks, aged 55, from Sodus, New York, was sentenced to 27 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell also ordered Weeks to pay $2,774 in restitution and a $5,000 fine. Weeks had previously pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers on June 27, 2024.
Court documents reveal that at approximately 3:02 p.m. on January 6, 2021, Weeks was captured on video entering the Lower West Terrace Tunnel. This tunnel, formed by the construction of a stage for the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, was a focal point for violent clashes with law enforcement. Weeks navigated through a throng of rioters toward the police line.
Upon reaching the police line amidst ongoing violence, Weeks thrust his arm through the broken pane of glass of a gold door within the Tunnel, appearing to attempt to grab a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer. During this act, Weeks was heard yelling, “Shove it up your a—! You fat f—! I’m gonna shove that up your a—!” and “We’re gonna f— you up!”
Shortly after, Weeks moved to directly confront the police. Rioters in the crowd shouted, “Get that door open!” In response, Weeks pushed the door open, allowing more rioters to access the police line in the Tunnel. According to court documents, Weeks then struck an MPD officer using his hands and body. Another rioter later sprayed Weeks with a chemical irritant, prompting him to leave the Tunnel.
After exiting the Tunnel, Weeks made his way to the Northwest Courtyard on the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol. There, he joined other rioters gathered outside a set of windows. As some rioters climbed on the windowsill and attacked the windowpanes, Weeks encouraged them. He then approached the window, waved a black can of OC spray through a broken pane, and struck the window with a wooden stick, contributing to its breakage.
The FBI apprehended Weeks on February 1, 2024, in Albany, New York.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are overseeing the prosecution of this case, with support from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.
The FBI’s Buffalo and Washington Field Offices led the investigation, with crucial assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
Since January 6, 2021, over 1,504 individuals across nearly all 50 states have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol breach, including more than 560 individuals facing charges of assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. Investigations continue.
