January 6 rioter pleads guilty to assaulting Michael Fanone
By Casey Gannon, CNN
A New York man who assaulted former Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol pleaded guilty on Friday to several felony charges.
Thomas Sibick, 37, pleaded guilty to assaulting, resisting or impeding of an officer and two counts of theft.
On January 6, Sibick, along with others, attacked Fanone and forcibly took his badge and radio.
Prosecutors said that Sibick falsely claimed to the FBI that he tried to help Fanone and used the emergency button on the radio to signal help. Yet evidence showed that Sibick did not press the button until 16 minutes after Fanone was escorted to safety.
Fanone is now a CNN contributor.
Prosecutors also said that Sibick was not truthful about what he did with Fanone’s badge and radio following the attack on the Capitol. While he told law enforcement he threw Fanone’s badge in a dumpster in Buffalo, New York, investigators later learned that Sibick had buried Fanone’s badge in his backyard. The badge was ultimately returned to investigators covered in dirt.
Sibick cried with his head down while questioned by DC federal Judge Amy Jackson. Several members of Sibick’s family were in attendance and showed emotion while the prosecution read the statement of factual evidence.
Sibick’s sentencing is scheduled for July 28.
The-CNN-Wire
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