AP – Two men who were active-duty members of the Marines Corps when they stormed the United States (US) Capitol pleaded guilty to riot-related criminal charges.
Joshua Abate and Dodge Dale Hellonen are scheduled to be sentenced in September by US District Judge Ana Reyes. Both pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.
Many Capitol rioters are military veterans, but only a few were actively serving in the armed forces when they joined a mob’s attack on January 6, 2021.
A third active-duty Marine Micah Coomer, also was charged with Abate and Hellonen.
Coomer pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanour charge in May and is scheduled to be sentenced by Reyes on August 30.
All three men face a maximum sentence of six months of imprisonment. As of May 19, the Marines were still in the service.
No additional information was available on Monday.
An attorney for Abate David Dischley, declined to comment on his client’s guilty plea. An assistant public defender who represents Hellonen didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
