U.S. Attorney’s Office
A Rutherford County man pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges on Wednesday for his actions related to the breaching of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, which included picking up a flagpole-like object and throwing it toward a line of police officers.
Anthony Mastanduno, 61, pleaded guilty to a nine-count indictment, including six felony charges, a release from the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Those felonies were:
-
Civil disorder
-
Entering and remaining in a restricted area with a deadly and dangerous weapon
-
Becoming involved in physical violence in a restricted area or groups with a deadly and dangerous weapon
-
Two counts of assaulting
-
Resisting or impeding certain officers using a deadly and dangerous weapon
Additionally, Mastanduno pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor charges that included disorderly conduct in a capitol building, an act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or building, parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Mastanduno at the Capitol building in Washington D.C.
The release said court documents showed that on Jan. 6, 2021, in the afternoon, Mastanduno entered the Capitol building via the Senate Wing Door, about four minutes after it was first breached by rioters.
He made his way to the Capitol Crypt, where he was at the front of a line of rioters who overwhelmed police officers in the area. Almost 20 minutes after he first entered, Mastanduno exited the Capitol building and made his way to the Lower West Terrace.
There, police formed a defensive line at the mouth of an archway leading to an entrance of the Capitol building known as the Tunnel. Rioters at the location “battled” with police officers for hours, the release said, in an attempt to storm the Capitol building.
The release said the Tunnel was the site of “some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement” on Jan. 6.
Coordinated attacks on police
Later that afternoon, Mastanduno began participating in coordinated attacks on uniformed police protecting the tunnel after engaging with other rioters.
Picking up a blue, flagpole-like object, Mastanduno threw it into the mouth of the tunnel towards the line of officers “as if throwing a javelin or spear,” the release said.
He then got a police shield, stolen from officers, which he used to push against the same line of police at the mouth of the Tunnel. He also used a telescoping baton while pushing, the release said, to strike police officers multiple times.
The baton can be worn on the hip and expands in length. Mastanduno aimed for the hands and arms of the officers.
He abandoned his position in the Tunnel after being sprayed with a chemical irritant spray.
The FBI arrested Mastanduno on Aug. 23, 2023, in North Carolina. He will be sentenced by a judge on June 27.
