State Department diplomatic security officer pleads guilty to storming Capitol
WASHINGTON — A man who worked as a diplomatic security officer at the U.S. State Department pleaded guilty Friday to joining a mob attack on the U.S. Capitol more than three years ago, court documents show.
Kevin Michael Alstrup is expected to be sentenced on February 12 by U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss.
Alstrup pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. Both charges are misdemeanors that carry a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
An attorney representing Alstrup at the hearing did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
A State Department spokesman said Alstrup was a contractor who had worked as a security guard for the State Department since 2010. He no longer works for the department, the spokesman said in an email.
Alstrup allowed that he entered the Capitol building through the Senate Wing doors after other rioters had broken them down and smashed windows. He took pictures with a camera before leaving the building, approximately 28 minutes after entering.
Alstrup was arrested in February in Washington DC, where he was living, on January 6. The judge allowed him to remain free until his sentencing.
The FBI determined that Alstrup, through his work for the State Department, “is familiar with providing security and protection for high-level government officials or sensitive locations, such as embassies.” One of Alstrup’s supervisors identified him in a photo from the riot, the FBI said.
At a press conference on Friday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that “we fully support the work of our colleagues at the Department of Justice to hold accountable all those responsible for violations of the law on that horrific day.”
About 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the Capitol riots. More than 900 have pleaded guilty. More than 200 others have been convicted by judges or juries after a trial.
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Associated Press reporter in Washington Matt Lee contributed.