A Missouri man who pleaded guilty to entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, will be allowed to travel to Washington, D.C., to attend the presidential inauguration next month.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan made the decision Thursday. Eric Peterson is slated to be sentenced on January 27, a week after President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office on the Capitol grounds. According to his plea agreement, in addition to whatever sentence he receives, Peterson must also pay $500 in restitution to the Architect of the Capitol.
The Department of Justice accused Peterson of knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted area with intent to impede and disrupt the orderly conduct of government business and official functions. The DOJ also accused him of engaging in disorderly and disruptive conduct within the United States Capitol Grounds.
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The U.S. Capitol was also the site of the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection when hundreds of his supporters entered, disrupting the counting of the Electoral College.
The Department of Justice also recently objected to allowing fellow Jan. 6 defendant Cindy Young to attend the inauguration during her supervised release after a misdemeanor conviction relating to the insurrection. A judge has not yet decided whether Young should be allowed to attend.
