Two Men Plead Guilty to Assaulting Law Enforcement Officers During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

            WASHINGTON — Two New York men pleaded guilty today to assaulting law enforcement officers during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was in the process of ascertaining and counting the electoral votes related to the presidential election. 

            According to court documents, Cody Mattice, 29, of Greece, New York, and James Phillip Mault, 30, formerly of Brockport, New York, who now resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina, were among those marching to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and attacking law enforcement officers. Mattice carried a video camera and recorded videos of himself, Mault, and others. Enroute to the Capitol, Mattice recorded himself saying, “It’s about to be nuts.”

            Both men arrived on the Capitol grounds and joined others in advancing to the police perimeter at the West Plaza. At approximately 2:30 p.m. Mattice pulled down a segment of the metal barricades that stood in front of a police line. He quickly grabbed it with both hands, pulling it away from officers and onto the ground. A short time later, rioters overwhelmed the police line, forcing officers to retreat up a central staircase to the Lower West Terrace. Mattice and Mault were part of the group that assaulted the police line. They stood at or near the front of the group, pushing forward against the officers, who attempted to keep the rioters from advancing.

            At approximately 4 p.m., Mattice and Mault approached the tunnel leading into the Capitol Building from the Lower West Terrace. After they reached the tunnel, they grabbed onto and hung from the wooden frame surrounding the arch. Mattice reached out to another rioter and grabbed a small object appearing to be a canister. He then sprayed chemical spray at police officers. After doing so, Mattice fell back and into the crowd. Mault likewise obtained a small canister containing chemical spray from another member of the crowd, and he, too, sprayed it at officers defending the tunnel. Mault also got a second canister from the crowd and provided it to another rioter.

            Mattice was arrested on Oct. 7, 2021, in Hilton, New York. Mault was arrested the same day in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. They face a statutory maximum of eight years in prison on the charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. The charge also carries potential financial penalties. Both men are to be sentenced on July 15, 2022.  A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

            The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

           The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Mattice as #284 and Mault as #142 in its seeking information photos, as well as the Metropolitan Police Department, with significant assistance provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and FBI’s Buffalo Field Office.

            In the 15 months since Jan. 6, 2021, nearly 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.