Swansea man at Capitol riots will face a judge in D.C. Trump stood before that same judge.

Dan Medeiros, The Herald News
Updated ·3 min read
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The Swansea man charged with rioting on Jan. 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol to overturn the 2020 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump will appear next week before a federal judge in Washington, D.C. — the same judge who heard the arraignment of Trump on charges he attempted to subvert the election that day.

Michael St. Pierre, 46, was arraigned on a federal felony offense of civil disorder and a series of misdemeanors at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on July 27.  St. Pierre was released on bail, and his case was transferred from Massachusetts to the District of Columbia district. He is being represented by federal defender Timothy G. Watkins.

On Aug. 17, he will appear via video teleconference before Magistrate Judge Moxila A. Upadhyaya.

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.

Facing the FBI: Swansea man who was at the Jan. 6 Capitol riots arrested. Here's what he's charged with

St. Pierre’s judge has dealt with Trump over the Jan. 6 riot

Upadhyaya, on Aug. 3, presided over Trump’s arraignment on four felony charges: conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

The former president is accused of engaging in schemes to block the legal transfer of power to President Joe Biden after losing the 2020 presidential election. This culminated in the attack on the Capitol by a violent mob of right-wing supporters who disrupted the official counting of Electoral College ballots.

During Trump’s arraignment, Upadhyaya released the former president without cash bond or travel conditions, but warned him that he cannot attempt to influence or threaten any witnesses in his case.

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.

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What happened in St. Pierre’s case, and what did he say afterward?

St. Pierre has admitted to being in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. In video he posted to his own Facebook page at the time, he is seen wearing head gear and a flak jacket marching toward the Capitol, saying he wanted to assault House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“Hopefully they’ll bust through, and I’ll join them to rush the Capitol, to grab Nancy Pelosi by the hair and f—— twirl her around,” St. Pierre states in the video.

He is accused of destroying federal property; aiding and abetting or coercing others to do the same; impeding official government functions; engaging in physical violence against a person or property in a restricted building; engaging in physical violence in the Capitol; and obstructing law enforcement while committing an act of civil disorder.

According to FBI investigators and federal prosecutors, St. Pierre is seen in camera footage that went viral throwing an object into the Capitol, pushing against rioters forcing their way against police officers, and egging on rioters using a megaphone, saying, “We need everybody, let’s get in the Capitol,” according to the affidavit.

Five people died in the riot, including a Capitol police officer, and 138 law enforcement officials were injured.

A week after the riot, St. Pierre told The Herald News he had been questioned by the FBI and regretted taking part in the insurrection. Less than a month after the attack, St. Pierre filed for bankruptcy. St. Pierre was, at the time, owner of the Family Foods Grocery Outlet on William S. Canning Boulevard; that store closed in 2021. He now owns the Fall River Snack Factory on Pleasant Street in the Pilgrim Mills.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea man caught at Jan. 6 Capitol riot to face a judge in D.C.