Texas Couple Sentenced for Assaulting Officers During Capitol Riot
WASHINGTON – A Texas couple has been sentenced to prison for their involvement in the January 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Mark Middleton, 55, and Jalise Middleton, 54, both from Forestburg, Texas, faced charges for assaulting law enforcement officers and other related offenses during the riot that disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the 2020 presidential election results.
U.S. District Judge Randolph D. Moss sentenced Mark Middleton to 30 months in prison, while Jalise Middleton received a 20-month sentence. Additionally, Mark Middleton was ordered to serve 36 months of supervised release and pay a $2,000 fine. Jalise Middleton was sentenced to 30 months of supervised release, along with a $2,000 fine.
The couple was convicted by a federal jury on charges including two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, civil disorder, and obstruction of an official proceeding. They were also found guilty of misdemeanor offenses such as entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and engaging in physical violence in restricted areas of the Capitol grounds.
However, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Fischer v. United States, the government chose to dismiss the Middletons’ conviction for obstruction of an official proceeding prior to sentencing.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that on January 6, 2021, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers were dispatched to the West Front of the U.S. Capitol to assist in protecting the building and its grounds from rioters. At around 2:09 p.m., officers were confronted by rioters who refused to comply with orders to step back from police lines and barricades.
Trial evidence and police body-worn camera footage showed Mark Middleton calling officers “traitors” and pushing against barricades and police lines. When officers ordered him to “Get back!” he responded with profanity while continuing to resist. Mark Middleton was seen grabbing an officer’s arm, pulling them over the barricades towards the crowd.
Meanwhile, Jalise Middleton was captured on camera striking the same officer over the barricade, hitting him in the face, chest, and arms. She also struck a second officer who attempted to intervene. Mark Middleton used a flagpole to strike this officer in the head. The couple continued their assault until an officer deployed chemical irritants, forcing them to retreat. Later, they posted on social media about their role in breaching the barricades.
The Middletons were arrested on April 21, 2021, in Forestburg, Texas. The case has been prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
The FBI’s Dallas and Washington Field Offices led the investigation, supported by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department. Since January 6, 2021, over 1,532 individuals across nearly all 50 states have been charged for crimes related to the Capitol breach, including more than 571 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation is ongoing.
