A Waldoboro man was sentenced Tuesday to 15 months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Matthew Brackley had pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement during the breach of the Capitol after attending then-President Trump’s Stop the Steal rally on the mall.
“His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election,” according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C.
Brackley and other rioters had “flooded up the stairs” underneath scaffolding used to construct President Biden’s inaugural state and entered the Capitol, according to the statement.
Inside, Brackley and others pushed up against and overwhelmed Capitol police officers, according to the statement. The rioters were stopped by officers at the Senate Chamber.
“Two of these officers told Brackley to ‘back up,’ and one officer gave him a small push backward,” the statement read. “Brackley, however, did not retreat and asked where Pelosi's office was as others behind him shouted obscenities. After about 40 seconds of conversation with the officers, Brackley turned to the crowd behind him and shouted, ‘Let's go!’ He then leaned forward and, with both elbows extended outward, pushed through the two officers, leading the crowd behind him further into the hallway towards the Senate Chamber.”
Another group of police, this time in riot gear, formed a line that the rioters pushed against before the rioters retreated when police used a chemical spray, according to the statement.
In 2022, Brakley ran unsuccessfully for the state Legislature, according to the Bangor Daily News. Brackley, a Republican, was defeated by Democrat Eloise Vitelli of Arrowsic in the Maine State Senate District 24 race.
The FBI arrested Brackley in Maine on July 21, 2023.
On Jan. 18, Brackley pleaded guilty to one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers.
On Tuesday, he was sentenced to 15 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3,000 in fines and restitution
Nearly 1,500 people from every state have faced charges following the riot.