Federal trial ready to begin for Swansea snack salesman at U.S. Capitol riots

Jo C. Goode, The Herald News
·3 min read
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FALL RIVER — Former grocer and Swansea resident Michael St. Pierre, accused of participating in the riot on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, heads to the federal District of Columbia District Court on April 15 for the start of his trial.

St. Pierre opted out of defending himself in front of a jury and will have a bench trial before federal Judge Jia M. Cobb, according to court documents.

Records also show that St. Pierre that met with federal prosecutors on Oct. 27 and again on March 12, and informed them that he was not willing to plead to any felony charges and no deal was offered.

St. Pierre is facing eight criminal counts, including obstruction of a civil proceeding, for allegedly attempting to impede Congress’ certification of the Electoral College vote in the 2020 presidential election between President Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump.

'Caught up in the moment': Fall River store owner regrets his actions at Capitol riots

Mike St. Pierre appears in a still frame of a video he recorded himself and live-streamed to Facebook in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, where he said he was going to march to the Capitol and break in. St. Pierre was later recorded on video hurling an object into the building.
Mike St. Pierre appears in a still frame of a video he recorded himself and live-streamed to Facebook in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, where he said he was going to march to the Capitol and break in. St. Pierre was later recorded on video hurling an object into the building.

St. Pierre is the former owner of the Family Foods Grocery Outlet, which was located on William S. Canning Boulevard and shuttered after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Until recently, he owned the Snack Factory on Pleasant Street, where arresting FBI agents and law enforcement officers took him into custody last July.

St. Pierre now has an online-only store called Snack Slinga.

On trial: Local businessman heading to federal trial for alleged role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot

St. Pierre caught on camera and social media during Capitol riot

St. Pierre never made it a secret that he was in the crowd of rioters that stormed the Capitol.

In fact, he shared a video of himself on social media during the riot, and those images went viral, catching the attention of the FBI.

In one video posted to his Facebook page, St. Pierre was seen wearing head gear and a flak jacket, saying he wants to grab Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi by the hair and twirl her around.

Mike St. Pierre of Fall River is seen here in a still frame from a TikTok video after hurling an object into the building during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Mike St. Pierre of Fall River is seen here in a still frame from a TikTok video after hurling an object into the building during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Fact check: What's real and not, three years after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot

In another Facebook post, he can be heard saying as the crowd got closer to the Capitol, "That’s where the meeting ground is, hopefully they’ll bust through, and I’ll join them."

A TikTok video of less than two seconds shows St. Pierre lobbing an object into the building at a Capitol door with other rioters as they violently worked to storm the entrance.

A week after the Capitol riot, St. Pierre told The Herald News that the object he threw was a piece of a flag someone handed him. He denied ever breaching the building.

In that interview, he expressed regret over his participation, saying he was “caught up in the moment.”

In a preliminary list of evidence that the government filed with the court, there are a slew of videos and still photographs that could be presented at trial, including Capitol surveillance footage, third-party videos, some the government indicates have not been previously released.

Also among the listed exhibits is a video interview with St. Pierre after the riot with Providence television station WJAR.

Who was charged: Use this interactive tool to search cases of every person accused of participating in the Capitol riot

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Pro-Trump protesters gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

What the federal government alleges

In a court filing, federal prosecutors allege that on Jan. 6, St. Pierre entered a restricted area in the Capitol wearing a body armor vest and carrying a megaphone on the West Front lawn, and “encouraged, incited, and aided rioters on the Northwest stairs scaffolding.”

And while on the north side of the Capitol, “St. Pierre encouraged, incited, and aided rioters” as they fought with U.S. Capitol Police and Metropolitan Police Department.

“The government alleges that he shouted encouraging and inciting phrases in his megaphone, he joined rioters as they pushed against officers in an attempt to overrun the North Doors, and he threw a metal flagpole top at the North Doors after officers had retreated behind those doors,” wrote federal prosecutors.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea man headed for trial over alleged role in Jan. 6 Capitol riot