Dutchess County, N.Y. man pleads guilty to civil disorder in Jan. 6 Capitol breach

October 20, 2024 – WASHINGTON – A New York man pleaded guilty Friday to felony civil disorder in the January 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and those of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to verify and count electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

Christopher Douglas Finney, 32, of Hopewell Junction, New York, pleaded guilty to a single count of civil disorder before U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden. Judge McFadden will sentence Finney on January 24, 2025.

According to court documents, Finney traveled from his home in New York state to attend a rally in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021. While waiting near the Washington Monument for the rally to begin, Finney is recorded asking, “What’s the problem?” building where they do the counting? and after receiving a response, he said, “We’re going to eventually go up to the Capitol. We’re going to storm the Capitol. They’re not going to stop us from going there. We’re going to make sure it’s done properly and that Donald Trump is still our president.”

When he made the recording, Finney wore plastic glasses with red rims and a protective vest with pouches containing white plastic flexible cuffs and a silver canister similar to a chemical spray container. Before leaving the area near the monument, Finney repeated: “We are going to storm the Capitol. We are going to do it right. We are not going to back down, we are not going to retreat, we the people are not going to be silent anymore. ” Finney was also recorded carrying a knife in a holster on his right hip.

Finney entered the restricted area around the Capitol grounds and toward the West Lawn and motioned for the crowd to follow him. Finney recorded his approach to the Capitol across the lawn and as he scaled a wall. Finney remained near the west front of the Capitol, moving from the scaffolding at its southwest corner to the covered scaffolding above the northwest steps. Finney then walked up the steps, through a police line leading to the northwest courtyard of Upper West Terrace and approached the Senate wing doors.

At approximately 2:14 p.m., Finney entered the Capitol building through the Senate wing doors. Once inside, he turned north, encountered police and made a hasty retreat, climbing out of a broken window. Finney re-entered the building through the Senate wing doors. After returning, Finney walked through the crypt and the OAP (Office of the Attending Physician) hallway and finally left the Capitol through the memorial doors.

Finney eventually made his way to the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace, where he joined other rioters, including several carrying makeshift weapons, outside the Lower West Terrace tunnel, site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement that day. There, rioters struggled to force a breach in a police cordon preventing the crowd from gaining access inside the Capitol. A rioter shouted “Push, push, push” and Finney responded by joining the crowd in a group push against the police line. The force of the group push reached the officers inside and behind the first line of officers, while the rioters at the front of the group push made direct physical contact with the officers in front of the police line.

Finney remained on Lower West Terrace, watching and recording while other rioters violently attacked the officers defending the Lower West Terrace exit. He remained within the restricted perimeter of the Capitol until nightfall.

The FBI arrested Finney on February 8, 2024 in New York.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

This matter is being investigated by the FBI’s New York and Washington field offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police.

In the 45 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,532 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 people accused of assaulting or obstructing forces order, a crime. The investigation is still ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

Attachment: finney_sof.pdf (PDF, 3 MB)

signed_criminal_complaint_redacted.pdf (PDF, 287 KB)

Source and photos: DOJ press release

Related: Dutchess County, New York Man arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges for actions during January 6 Capitol breach