This image from video provided by the FBI, shows Maryann Mooney-Rondon and her son Rafael Rondon, of Watertown, N.Y., inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021: NAJ screen shot
Staff Report –
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A New York woman has been found guilty on felony charges this week for her actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for disrupting a joint session of Congress convened to certify the electoral votes in the 2020 presidential election.
Maryann Mooney-Rondon, 56, of Watertown, New York, was found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding, along with aiding and abetting the theft of government property.
U.S. District Court Judge Jia M. Cobb in the District of Columbia returned the verdict after a trial in which Mooney-Rondon and the government agreed upon a stipulated set of facts regarding her conduct, according to a press release from the United States Department of Justice..
According to court documents, on Jan. 6, 2021, Mooney-Rondon, attended a rally on the Ellipse and then marched to the Capitol, where she and her son Rafael Rondon, who pleaded guilty in December 2022, illegally entered the grounds. The two entered the Capitol Building at approximately 2:23 p.m. through the Senate Wing Door.
They moved through the building and, at approximately 2:32 p.m., entered the office suite of the Speaker of the House. They then moved into a conference room, where they assisted an unidentified male in the theft of a laptop computer.
They later moved to the Senate Gallery, where each stole a satchel containing an emergency escape hood, a filtering respiratory protective device maintained for members of Congress and staff. They exited the Capitol Building at approximately 2:52 p.m.
Mooney-Rondon was arrested on Oct. 1, 2021, in Syracuse, New York.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 18, 2023. She faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as potential financial penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Albany Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Mooney-Rondon as #225 in its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
In the 26 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,000 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 320 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
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