A North Texas man was found guilty today of two felonies and four misdemeanor charges for his role in the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, 2021, according to a release from the Department of Justice.
51-year-old Matthew DaSilva of Lavon, Texas was convicted of civil disorder, assaulting officers, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds.
He was found not guilty of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.
Evidence obtained by the Department of Justice confirmed DaSilva's participation in the riot on the Capitol grounds in 2021.
According to their evidence, at around 2:35 p.m., DaSilva arrived at the west plaza of the Capitol holding a flag pole and brandishing a large blue flag.
Footage from the Capitol Police CCTV shows DaSilva near the back of a crowd of rioters at around 4:20 p.m. attempting to remove law enforcement from their defensive positions near an entrance of the building.
Shortly after at around 4:33 p.m., DaSilva was seen forcibly pushing against and grabbing an officer's riot shield. Court documents also say that DaSilva continued physical contact with the officers, swatting one officer's arm away as he attempted to deploy pepper spray.
A sentencing hearing for DaSilva was scheduled for Oct. 12, 2023.
In the two years since the Capitol riots on Jan. 6, 2021, over 1,069 arrests have been made for crimes related to the event. At least 70 of those arrested have been from Texas.
The investigation will continue to be investigated. The DOJ is asking anyone with information on this case to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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