Pulaski man agrees to plead guilty to Jan. 6 involvement

WASHINGTON, DC (WDBJ) – A Pulaski man has accepted a plea deal for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, according to U.S. District Court.

Carson Rees pleaded guilty Oct. 15 to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol building or grounds and to marching, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, five years of probation upon release and a $5,000 fine. Court documents add that charges can be served consecutively and Rees must pay any interest or penalties on fines that are not paid on time.

According to an FBI investigation, Rees had uploaded several posts to his Facebook on January 6, 2021 regarding his involvement in the Capitol riot.

Court records say Rees posted a photo of the Capitol’s upper west terrace at 2:40 p.m. with the caption “We’re going in,” followed by an additional message inside the Capitol rotunda titled “We’re in.” .

Rees continued to capture his involvement in a Facebook live video that he immediately deleted after it was posted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A witness who served in the U.S. National Guard with Rees submitted a tip to the FBI after seeing the footage and advised it to delete the video because he would face sanctions from the military.

Shortly afterward, several images and videos were deleted, according to court records.

The FBI agent then obtained security footage from inside the Capitol, showing Rees moving through the building and hallways, yelling at officers to clear the rotunda. Footage captured Rees inside the Capitol for about 14 minutes, where he could be seen pointing fingers and shouting expletives at officers.

As rioters began attacking officers, footage showed Rees exiting the building at 3:01 p.m., according to court documents.

When confronted with this information by an FBI agent after several attempts to contact him, Rees claimed he was only expressing his First Amendment rights.

Prior to his plea deal, Rees was initially charged in March 2024 with:

• Knowingly entering and remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
• Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
• Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
• Parade, picketing and demonstration in a Capitol building.

Rees is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2025, according to court documents.

Read the full complaint against Rees below:

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