In connection with his attack of a police officer during the January 6, 2021 incident at the U.S. Capitol, a 50-year-old Cumberland County man will serve more than two years in federal prison.
According to court filings, Joseph Pastucci of New Cumberland pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer during the attack on the Capitol and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell to 26 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
In addition, he was mandated to make $2,000 in reparations.
According to the affidavits, Pastucci and Jeanette Mangia, 44, of New Cumberland, entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing door at around 2:15 p.m., two minutes after the facility was invaded.
Before approaching the Senate floor, the two spent more than an hour exploring the complex, passed through the Rotunda and paused to take pictures in the House Speaker’s office suite.
In the months preceding January 6, Pastucci and Mangia texted each other about attending Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal rally and certifying Joe Biden’s victory.
On April 27, 2023, both were taken into custody in Pennsylvania.
On January 6, 2021, Joseph Pastucci was spotted within the U.S. Capitol.
United States Government creditGovernment of the United States
Pastucci repeatedly lied to FBI agents after his detention, saying he was pushed in the direction of the Capitol, made to enter, and never given a chance to exit.
In his account of what happened, Pastucci stated that he was on a tour and did not violate any laws, adding that he only entered because he was granted permission.
Agents warned Pastucci that security tape showed him wandering the Capitol and that he was ejected from the building after resisting, but he persisted in lying.
In the office of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Mangia poses for a photo.
United States Government creditGovernment of the United States
According to the letter, Mangia sat in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s chair as Pastucci took a picture of her after the two entered her office. After that, they traveled around the Senate chamber before locating the seats designated for Senators Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.
Before departing the Senate chamber at around 3:01 p.m., one minute after police began to vacate the space, Pastucci and Mangia also examined documents there. They spent around fifteen minutes in the Senate chamber.
Inside the Senate chamber, Pastucci and Mangia are examining documents.
United States Government creditGovernment of the United States
Pastucci was told to leave by officers outside the Senate Carriage Door at 3:04 p.m., but he refused. According to the affidavit, Pastucci used a nearby metal detector and a piece of furniture as leverage against an officer who attempted to physically remove him out of the building.
Pastucci uses a piece of furniture and a metal detector to intimidate a policeman.
United States Government creditGovernment of the United States
Mangia also resisted leaving the building, and as she kicked and flailed, officers took her out.
Pastucci replied by pushing an officer in the chest and pushing him backwards as the officers took Mangia through the door.
A screen grab of surveillance footage reveals Pastucci pushing a policeman close to the Carriage Door of the Capitol.
United States Government creditGovernment of the United States
Around 3:21 p.m., Pastucci made his second entrance into the Capitol through the East Rotunda door after being removed from the premises at 3:06 p.m.
According to investigations, Pastucci was one of the final two individuals to enter the Rotunda before police were able to quell the rioters’ swarm.
Pastucci told an officer inside the Rotunda that he wanted to leave because he was experiencing negative effects from the chemical irritants that were deployed on him and other rioters. Around 3:27 p.m., he and Mangia left the building.
Pastucci described it as a pleasant walk through the House and assured investigators that he was not concerned about being detained because he did not hurt anyone or break anything.
Pastucci stated, “I know on the website that it’s open to the public, so I didn’t do anything wrong personally.”
Pastucci said he was attempting to leave when the officers tossed him out without cause when he was questioned about his altercation with them near the Senate Carriage Door.
Pastucci claimed he had no recollection of pushing the officer, taking Mangia’s photo, or going inside the Capitol twice.
In a bench trial, Pastucci was convicted on all 11 initial counts; however, on September 30, 2023, he entered a guilty plea to assault, obstructing, or impeding officers, and 10 of the charges were dismissed.
Pastucci should receive a term at the bottom of the guidelines since, according to the sentencing records, he was a small participant in the offense in comparison to his co-defendant Jeanette Mangia.
Due to her involvement in the uprising, Mangia is presently undergoing trial.
In almost all 50 states, including more than 80 from Pennsylvania, more than 1,572 people have been charged with offenses connected to the Capitol assault.
Stories by
Madison Montag
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