A former US Capitol police officer is convicted of obstruction of justice for deleting Facebook messages he exchanged with a man who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
A former US Capitol police officer has been convicted of obstruction of justice for deleting Facebook messages he exchanged with a man who participated in the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Riley was arrested last year on accusations that he helped hide the rioter's involvement in the attack that left many of his own colleagues brutally beaten by supporters of former US president Donald Trump.Riley responded to a report of a pipe bomb on January 6 and had been a Capitol Police officer for about 25 years before his arrest.The day after the riot, Riley sent the person a Facebook message, identifying himself as a "Capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance.
"Take down the part about being in the building they are currently investigating and everyone who was in the building is going to be charged. Just looking out!" Riley wrote.Riley told the rioter that the scene was a "total s***show". "I'm glad you got out of there unscathed. We had over 50 officers hurt, some pretty bad," the officer wrote, according to the complaint.
When the rioter said through messaging that he did not think he had done anything wrong, Riley responded: "The only thing I can see is if you went into the building and they have proof you will be charged."After the rioter was arrested, they told Riley that the FBI was "very curious" that the two had been communicating.