A Texas man has been handed a 28-month prison sentence by a D.C. federal judge for his role in the violent January 6 Capitol riot, it was confirmed yesterday. Matthew DaSilva, 51, from Lavon, Texas, faced charges of civil disorder and assaulting law enforcement during the chaos that engulfed the Capitol as lawmakers were certifying the 2020 election results, according to the Department of Justice.
Evidence presented in court placed DaSilva among the mob that clashed with police on the west front of the Capitol, his actions captured on Capitol Police CCTV; he was seen participating in a "heave-ho" maneuver aimed at breaching a tunnel entrance and later forcibly grappling with an officer's riot shield, only to be met with six months of supervised release after serving his time behind bars.
The conviction, handed down by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols, also included a misdemeanor offense for DaSilva's act of physical violence seen during the Capitol breach. DaSilva's documented assault occurred as he joined rioters in an aggressive confrontation with officers defending the Lower West Terrace Tunnel—a location that bore witness to some of the day's most brutal acts against the authorities tasked with protecting the nation's legislative heart.
Over the 39 months following the January 6 insurrection, more than 1,387 individuals have been apprehended across the nation for their involvement in the Capitol breach, with close to 500 of those facing charges specifically for assaulting or impeding law enforcement in the investigation spearheaded by the FBI's Washington and Dallas Field Offices, alongside local police departments continue to delve into the events of that chaotic day.
The prosecution was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section, with significant aid from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas; this coalition reflects the severity of the breach's implications—a sentiment echoed by the ongoing, nationwide arrests and search for justice in the aftermath of January 6.
