Riot on Capitol Hill: Prosecutors could indict more than 400 people, plea deals could be reached ‘within a few weeks’

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Ministry officials are working on the timeline for potential advocacy deals. Internal discussions will likely be influenced by the arrival of Attorney General Merrick Garland – who had his first briefing on the investigation on Thursday – and other senior officials joining the Biden administration.

“Based on the information we have received from the supervisors, it appears that things are moving forward. I hope to have plea offers for these parties soon,” US deputy lawyer Amanda Fretto said at a hearing on Friday in Washington, DC, for two Texans indicted in the attack on the Capitol.

“It could happen in a few weeks,” Fretto added, the first time a prosecutor has given a possible timetable for plea negotiations in open court.

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with the Jan.6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by pro-Trump rioters – a figure the DOJ said could easily exceed 400. Charges are also likely to be laid against other members of the Oath Keepers, building on the existing conspiracy case which already has nine defendants, prosecutors in court said Thursday.
RELATED: Oath Keepers Founder Led Capitol Rioters Jan.6, Justice Department Says

There was no guilty plea, although legal experts believe many defendants will end up making a deal instead of going to a costly and difficult federal trial. For those who choose to go to trial, court backlogs and the sheer logistics of the sprawling investigation likely mean trials could be 12 to 15 months away, people with knowledge of the investigation told CNN.

Suspected Oath Keeper accused in attack on Capitol Hill insults Capitol police for not planning the January 6 riot

“ The most complex investigation ever ”

The Justice Department calls the investigation one of the “largest in American history,” and it has drained Department and FBI resources.

This process takes time, prosecutors acknowledged, and the DOJ has requested delays in several cases as investigators face the overwhelming workload. Prosecutors have specifically requested two-month time limits in some cases, according to new court documents.

“The investigation and prosecution of the attack on Capitol Hill will likely be one of the most important in American history, both in terms of the number of defendants prosecuted and the nature and volume of evidence,” said wrote on Friday the lawyers of the Ministry of Justice in the new documents.

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The attack, they added, is “possibly the most complex investigation ever conducted by the Department of Justice”, citing the overwhelming workload of prosecutors and FBI agents.

Investigators have mountains of evidence. They say they examine more than 15,000 hours of surveillance tapes and images from police cameras, approximately 1,600 electronic devices, and have performed “hundreds” of searches for electronic communications such as emails and messages. text.

More than 900 search warrants have been executed in almost every state, prosecutors said.

RELATED: Trump’s State Department Appointed Person Violated Oath of Office in Capitol Riot, DOJ Says

The public continues to respond to the government’s call for help in identifying suspects, which has proven to be essential in many cases. Authorities say they have received more than 210,000 pieces of advice and have already generated 80,000 witness and suspect interrogation reports.

Prosecutors said during court hearings this week that the DOJ is hiring an outside vendor to create a database of all materials, which includes a staggering number of video clips from the Capitol grounds.

The DOJ brings reinforcements

More than a dozen federal prosecutors from across the country have been sent to Washington to help with the effort, which is being led by the US attorney’s office in DC.

Several Washington-based prosecutors have also started dismissing their regular cases, but 15 are expected to continue working on more complex conspiracy cases that could take months of work.

RELATED: Proud Boys Appoints Man To Hold ‘War Powers’ To Lead Jan 6 Attack, Justice Department Says
The vast majority of known cases of insurgency on Capitol Hill are against individual rioters. But prosecutors have filed conspiracy charges against family members of those who have been on Capitol Hill and against members of far-right extremist groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

The conspiracy investigations are continuing and “involve a large number of participants,” the Justice Department said in court documents on Friday.

Many suspected rioters on Capitol Hill have already been brought to justice and have pleaded not guilty. The next step is the “discovery” process where investigators prepare the evidence for trial and share it with the defendants.

The Justice Department’s demand to slow some cases of rioting on Capitol Hill is part of a larger fight over the discovery process.

Defense attorneys for some suspected rioters complained in court that they had not received enough documents to begin preparing adequately for trial or possible plea negotiations. Prosecutors handed over some documents but told judges they had more time.

RELATED: New Charges Against Former Marine One Crew Member in Capitol Riot
Friday’s hearing in which Fretto, the prosecutor, described the state of potential plea deals involving Jenny Cudd and Eliel Rosa of Midland, Texas. Cudd gained national notoriety last month when she sought – and received – a judge’s approval to travel to Mexico for a vacation with colleagues. Both pleaded not guilty to a criminal indictment of five counts.

Judge Trevor McFadden set their next hearing for April 29 and said he hoped he could “resolve the case” by that date, citing the possibility of guilty plea negotiations.

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