- A Lehigh Valley man has been convicted for his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol
- Craig Michael Bingert, 32, is from Allentown, according to the U.S. Justice Department, and court records say he had a presence in Slatington
- He has been sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by supervised release and a $2,000 fine
BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A Lehigh Valley man has been convicted for his role in the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol.
Craig Michael Bingert, 32, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, 36 months of supervised release and a $2,000 fine, according to a media release from the U.S. Justice Department.
The release said Bingert is from Allentown, but court documents, citing his LinkedIn profile, list his residence in Slatington.
Bingert was found guilty of seven charges, including three felonies.
For a felony count of assaulting a police officer, police bodycam footage showed him shoving a bike rack against police outside the Capitol during the attacks.
Bingert's case was heard alongside the case of Isaac Steve Sturgeon, 34, of Dillon, Montana. Sturgeon was sentenced to six years in prison, along with the same supervised release conditions and fine as Bingert.
"The duo then climbed through the inaugural stage scaffolding, up the southwest stairs, and made their way to the front of the mob at the top of the stairs, where police had formed a line behind a row of bike racks being used as a barricade to defend the Capitol."U.S. Justice Department release
Sturgeon and Bingert acted similarly in the Jan. 6 attack, climbing through inaugural stage scaffolding and attacking police at the front of the crowd of rioters, according to the Justice Department.
Court documents say the attacks occurred at the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol building.
"The duo then climbed through the inaugural stage scaffolding, up the southwest stairs, and made their way to the front of the mob at the top of the stairs, where police had formed a line behind a row of bike racks being used as a barricade to defend the Capitol," the release says.
About 2:45 p.m., it says, "Bingert and Sturgeon stood side-by-side directly in front of the bike racks and police at the top of the southwest stairs. The pair and others grabbed the metal bike rack in front of them and pushed it hard against the police, resulting in injury to at least one officer.
"Both men remained on the Upper West Terrace for at least two hours after this assault, watching the brutal attacks on the police occurring on the Lower West Terrace below them. "
The FBI's Washington Field Office, along with the Philadelphia and New York FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, Joint Terrorism Task Force Kenya and Metropolitan Police Force investigated Bingert and Sturgeon's roles in the attack.
The Justice Department media release says they were primarily tracked down through "wanted" posters put up by the FBI.
