Nicholas Ortt allegedly admitted to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. (Photos from court documents)
A Maryland man who fought with cops guarding the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and later bragged on Facebook he “never was prouder to be part of it” pleaded guilty this week to charges in the case.
Nicholas Ortt, 43, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release. He’s set to be sentenced on Sept. 23.
Ortt went to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, to attend former President Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally protesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a statement of facts that outlines the case.
After the rally, Ortt confronted cops. He was seen on police body camera footage struggling with vastly outnumbered police officers trying to hold the line. Ortt was the first rioter to push through against police shields at one location on the Capitol’s West Plaza, court documents said.
As he pushed through the police line, Ortt grabbed officers’ batons as they struggled to prevent other rioters behind Ortt from attacking.
Once Ortt breached the line, he continued to fight with officers as their cordon collapsed.
Police briefly pushed Ortt back, forcing him to retreat into the mob, which ultimately broke through the police line and flooded onto the Lower West Terrace.
At 4:07 p.m. that day, Ortt went onto Facebook and posted a photo of himself with another rioter, holding a stolen police riot shield, celebrating.
“Never was prouder to be part of it,” and “Trust me I was there at the front lines,” he wrote.
After the riots, the FBI interviewed three people who knew Ortt — one of whom received a text from him with a photo showing him marching near the Capitol in his Trump hat.
He was arrested on March 8 in Ellicott City, Maryland, after the FBI identified him in photos in which he’s seen wearing a distinctive American flag gaiter and red “Trump” hat with an American flag brim, court documents said.
In the 40 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,424 people have been charged with crimes related to the Capitol breach, officials said. More than 500 people have been charged with assaulting officers.
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