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March 19, 2024 - WASHINGTON – An Ohio man was sentenced to prison on Monday for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Michael Mackrell, 42, of Wellington, Ohio, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, 12 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. On Oct. 20, 2023, Mackrell pleaded guilty to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers.
According to court documents, Michael Mackrell traveled from Ohio with his son, co-defendant Clifford Mackrell, to Washington, D.C., to participate in a political rally at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, 2021,
At the rally, Mackrell wore an earthtone camouflage jacket, an earthtone camouflage baseball cap-style hat, green gloves, and black pants. He also carried a green backpack, walked with a dark-colored cane, and used an American flag gaiter to cover his mouth and nose. Following the speeches, he marched with his son to the Capitol.
On the way to the West Plaza, Mackrell pushed back barricades with other rioters, forcing law enforcement to abandon their line and retreat closer to the Capitol building to form a new protective line without the use of barricades. Court documents say that by pushing open the barricades and walking into an area that had been cordoned off, Mackrell unlawfully and knowingly entered and remained in a restricted area within the United States Capitol and its grounds.
Shortly before 2:30 p.m., Mackrell and his son positioned themselves on the front line of rioters. While there, Mackrell engaged in multiple assaults and other unlawful conduct. In one instance captured on closed-circuit video, Mackrell wrapped his arm around the neck of a U.S. Capitol Police officer and threw the officer to the ground. Moments later, the video captured Mackrell pushing an officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as the officer tried to help his fellow police hold a line against the rioters. Immediately after, video cameras captured Mackrell as he tackled a third officer near the south side of the West Plaza, then rushed and tacked a fourth MPD officer, then tackled a fifth police officer on the West Plaza.
In another instance, a rioter started picking up a piece of what appeared to be plywood. An officer from the protective line jumped on the plywood to keep it on the ground. The officer jumped on the plywood, and Mackrell and his son pushed the officer to the ground.
The FBI arrested Michael Mackrell on March 9, 2023, in Ohio.
Clifford Mackrell was previously sentenced to prison for his role in the events of January 6th.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio provided valuable assistance.
The FBI's Cleveland and Washington Field Offices investigated this case. The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance.
In the 38 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,358 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 486 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Source: DOJ Release
