Pennsylvania Brothers Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON - Two brothers from Pennsylvania have been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including for assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Their 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.

            Andrew Valentin, 26, and Matthew Valentin, 31, both of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, are charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. The Valentin brothers are also charged with several misdemeanors, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and act of physical violence in the Capitol buildings or grounds.

            Andrew Valentin was arrested on Feb. 11, 2024, in South Whitehall, Pennsylvania and made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Matthew Valentin was arrested on Feb. 12, 2024, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and made his initial appearance in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

            According to court documents, the Valentin brothers are identified in open-source video walking from the Washington Monument along Constitution Avenue towards the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The brothers eventually made their way to the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds and climbed a media tower in the area. 

            At approximately 2:28 p.m., the crowd of rioters assembled on the West Plaza, including the Valentin brothers, rushed the police line. Body-worn camera footage showed the Valentin brothers pushing a bike rack barricade into the police line during the mele. At one point, Matthew Valentin reached his hand through the bike rack barricade and grabbed a U.S. Capitol Police Officer.

            After the crowd rushed the line, police fell back and formed a new protective line on the south side of the West Plaza. As members of the mob continued to advance on and assault police, Andrew Valentin took out a cellphone and appeared to have recorded the scene. At about 2:33 p.m., both brothers approached the reformed police line. Matthew held a baton in one hand and a spray canister in the other. Less than one minute later, Matthew sprayed what appeared to be a chemical irritant into the line of officers. Law enforcement officers then retreated from the West Plaza, and Matthew took out his cell phone to record the scene.

            The brothers then made their way to the Upper West Terrace at approximately 2:50 p.m. and approached another line of police officers and Matthew grabbed an officer’s baton. Law enforcement later cleared the crowd from this area, and the brothers returned to the West Plaza. Here, at approximately 5:12 p.m., Andrew Valentin is seen on body-worn camera footage throwing a chair at a line of police officers. Court documents say that the chair struck the shield of a Montgomery County Police Officer.

            The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Middle District of Pennsylvania provided valuable assistance.

            The FBI's Philadelphia and Washington Field Offices are investigating this case. The FBI listed Matthew Valentin as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #336 on its seeking information photos. The U.S. Capitol Police, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Montgomery County Police Department provided valuable assistance.

            In the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 469 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.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.