Man who stormed Capitol clad in fur pleads guilty to Jan. 6 charges

A man who stormed the Capitol clad in fur, a police vest and a riot shield pleaded guilty on Wednesday to several charges in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., announced.

Aaron Mostofsky, 35, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of theft of government property and entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds as well as a felony charge of civil disorder.

One of the most serious charges Mostofsky was facing, obstruction of an official proceeding, was dropped as part of the plea agreement. The Associated Press noted that his father is New York state court Judge Steven Mostofsky.

According to a statement of offense, Aaron Mostofsky traveled to Washington, D.C., from New York and was “dressed as a caveman and carrying a walking stick or rod.”

“The defendant explained to a friend that the fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election was so obvious, even a caveman would know the election was stolen,” according to the court filing.

Prosecutors allege, citing surveillance footage, that Mostofsky tried to break through a police line by using his weight and strength as officers sought to adjust a barrier between the Capitol Building and crowd that would limit rioters’ access to the building.

The statement of offense also claims that Mostofsky picked up and wore a U.S. Capitol Police bulletproof vest in addition to a police riot shield.

Mostofsky was allegedly around the twelfth person to enter through the Senate wing door, where he came through after 2 p.m. and “followed the crowd to a staircase where the crowd pursued U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up a staircase and into the Ohio Clock Corridor, just outside the Senate Chamber,” according to prosecutors.

The court filing also noted that while inside the Capitol the Jan. 6 rioter allegedly did an interview with The New York Post, in which he echoed baseless claims made by former President Trump that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

Mostofsky is set to be sentenced on May 6. He is among hundreds of people charged in connection with the attack, during which throngs of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the 2020 election results. 

An attorney for Mostofsky declined to comment.