Appeals court affirms former Capitol police officer’s conviction for aiding rioter

A federal appeals court has affirmed the conviction of a former U.S. Capitol police officer, Michael Angelo Riley, who attempted to aid a Virginia fisherman in evading legal repercussions for joining a mob’s assault on the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in a three-judge panel, maintained that the evidence presented against Riley sufficiently supported his obstruction charge. Despite Riley’s claims that there was no proof of foreseeability of a grand jury proceeding or that he deleted Facebook messages intentionally, the panel dismissed his arguments as flawed.

Judge Cornelia Pillard emphasized that as a 25-year veteran of the Capitol Police, Riley was well aware of the significance of grand juries in the legal process and his own messages indicated his anticipation of felony prosecutions for those who unlawfully entered the Capitol on January 6. In October 2022, Riley was found guilty by a jury on one count of obstructing an official proceeding, although they were deadlocked on a second obstruction charge. Subsequently, in April 2023, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentenced Riley to two years of probation and four months of home detention.

On the day of the Capitol attack, Riley was on duty and responded to a report of a possible explosive device at the Republican National Committee headquarters while also aiding an injured officer. The subsequent day, Riley came across a Facebook post by Jacob Hiles, a fisherman known to him from YouTube, detailing his involvement in the riot and posting a video of the clash between rioters and law enforcement.

In a private message exchange with Hiles, Riley, identifying himself as a Capitol police officer, expressed agreement with Hiles’ political beliefs and advised him to remove any content suggesting involvement in the building investigation, cautioning that all individuals inside the building would face charges. Following a mention by Hiles that the FBI was inquiring about their conversations, Riley reportedly deleted their chat history.

Hiles pleaded guilty in September 2021 to a misdemeanor charge related to the Capitol breach and was subsequently sentenced to two years of probation.