A Lehigh County man has been sentenced to prison for his role in the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol.
Craig Michael Bingert, a 32-year-old from Allentown, was sentenced to 96 months in prison, along with 36 months of supervised release on Tuesday for his actions on Jan. 6, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. He was also ordered to pay a $2,000 fine.
Bingert was sentenced alongside 34-year-old Isaac Steve Sturgeon of Dillon, Montana.
U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth convicted the two men after a bench trail on May 24, 2023, on seven charges including obstruction of an official proceeding; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; and civil disorder, all felonies.
The two men were also charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and engaging in an act of physical violence in the grounds or any of the Capitol buildings.
According to trial evidence and court documents, the two men “traveled separately from their respective hometowns to Washington, D.C., to attend the ‘Stop the Steal’ rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and later marched toward the U.S. Capitol building.”
Bingert and Sturgeon independently made their way onto the restricted grounds of the Capitol and joined the mob on the West Front.
The group “violently” broke through the police line and forced officers to retreat.
The two men scaled the inaugural stage scaffolding and climbed the southwest stairs, making their way to the front of the mob.
There, around 2:45 p.m., the release said Bingert, Sturgeon, and others grabbed a metal bike rack forming part of a barricade and pushed it against the police line, injuring at least one officer.
The two men also remained on the Upper West Terrace for at least two hours, watching the assaults on police, and stayed on restricted grounds until forcibly removed by police.
Sturgeon was sentenced to 72 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and a $2,000 fine.
The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Eastern District of New York assisted in the prosecution of Bingert and Sturgeon.
Over 1,100 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack. The release said more than 396 individuals were charged with felonies for assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The federal investigation is still ongoing. The Department of Justice said anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or go to tips.fbi.gov.
(Original air-date: 9/28/23)
