WASHINGTON (WGHP) — A North Carolina man was found guilty on Wednesday of felony and misdemeanor charges related to the the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to the United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.
Christopher Raphael Spencer, 43, of Pilot Mountain, was convicted of:
- felony obstruction of an official proceeding
- misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
- disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds,
- disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
- parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building
Spencer was convicted following a stipulated bench trial in front of U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly.
Spencer will be sentenced at a later date.
According to the government’s stipulated evidence, Spencer and his wife, Virginia Marie “Jenny” Spencer, traveled from Pilot Mountain to Washington, D.C., to see the former president on Jan. 6, 2021.
At some time during the day, the couple walked to the U.S. Capitol building and into the restricted permitter of the Capitol grounds, bypassing bike rack barricades.
The couple made their way into a crowd of rioters gathered near the inauguration stage on the west side of the Capitol building. The two watched as rioters attacked police and climbed the walls of the Capitol and the Inauguration stage scaffolding.
The couple then went up the stairs underneath the scaffolding to the northwest terrace near the Senate Wing of the Capitol.
Around 2:19 p.m., the Spencers went inside the Capitol building through the Senate Wing Door. The couple then made their way into the crypt and watched as rioters clashed with police.
Christopher filmed a Facebook Live video and urged rioters to “Don’t stop!” in relation to a fight with police.
The two then made their way to the second floor and went briefly into the hallway offices of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Christopher again recorded a Facebook Live video in which he said, “Where’s Nancy’s office?”
The couple then made their way to the House Chamber and Christopher recorded a video.
He said “Kick that (expletive) open!” in reference to the House Chamber door. In another video, Christopher yelled, “Smile, (expletive), smile (expletive), (expletive) traitor!” at United States Capitol officers who were involved in a fight with a rioter.
The couple spent around 30 minutes inside the Capitol. The FBI arrested the couple on Feb. 8, 2021, in North Carolina.
Virginia was previously sentenced to 90 days incarceration for her role in the matter.
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.
Assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Charlotte and Washington Field Offices. The U.S. Capitol police and the Metropolitan Police Department provided assistance.
In the 37 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,313 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 469 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, which is a felony.
The investigation is ongoing.