Judge finds man from Minnesota guilty for role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

WASHINGTON - A federal judge on Wednesday found Brian Christopher Mock guilty of the 11 charges he faced for his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, including assaulting law enforcement.

Using video evidence, prosecutors described four alleged assaults by Mock outside the U.S. Capitol that day. Mock was also charged with taking two police riot shields and obstructing an official proceeding.

"After he committed these acts, he bragged about it," assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Jones said during closing arguments earlier this week.

Mock, 44, was arrested in Minneapolis more than two years ago. After driving from Minnesota, Mock was part of the mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters who violently stormed the Capitol grounds and disrupted Congress from working to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost.

Leaving the courthouse Wednesday morning, Mock declined to comment on the judge's verdict. Asked if he plans to appeal, Mock answered, "We'll see." His sentencing is set for Oct. 10.

Mock became his own attorney during the trial despite starting the case with a lawyer representing him. Last month, Chief Judge James E. Boasberg in Washington, D.C.'s, U.S. District Court dismissed the "dangerous weapons" elements of some of the counts against Mock although he did not dismiss any of the overall charges.

In his closing arguments Tuesday, Mock tried to portray himself as not having extremist views. While he wanted to see allegations of fraud in the 2020 presidential election investigated, Mock distanced himself from the defeated president. The Republican president spread falsehoods of widespread voter fraud that spurred the Capitol riot. Mock told the court he was not "frothing at the mouth, 'Trump or die.' "

Mock declined a jury trial, which left the decision of whether Mock was guilty of the charges to Boasberg. Boasberg noted in court Wednesday morning that Mock was an articulate and engaging person. But some of the comments Mock made to defend himself were not seen as credible by the judge.

"To his credit, he did not go into the building," Boasberg said of Mock not entering the Capitol that day while some other participants in the riot did. The judge also highlighted that Mock was critical in court of actions by some members of the mob.

During the case, Mock attempted to blame police for instigating violence from the crowd he was part of on the Capitol grounds. That claim was dismantled by federal prosecutors.

Mock's four assault charges came from evidence that he threw a broken flag pole at a line of police and pushed down two officers, attempting to kick one of them. Prosecutors also said Mock shoved another officer in the back.

In one flashpoint during the trial, Mock tried to downplay one of the claims that he shoved a police officer to the ground. The officer testified during the trial about being pushed to the ground and the panic he experienced. Later in the trial, Mock blamed different factors for what happened to the officer. The judge said Mock was trying to have it both ways while minimizing the assault.

"The video shows a very clear purposeful shove," Boasberg said.

The Department of Justice said in a news release after Mock's trial ended that in the Jan. 6 investigation, over 350 people have been "charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement."