Watertown man awaiting sentencing for Capitol riot role gets 14 months in separate case involving illegal gun

Jonathon Wheeler, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read
13

Jul. 11—WATERTOWN — A Watertown man still facing up to 20 years in federal prison for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison for possessing an unregistered sawed-off shotgun that was discovered in Lewis County as FBI agents investigated his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Rafael Rondon, 25, had pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Syracuse, to the illegal gun possession count on Dec. 16. U.S. Attorneys said in a prepared statement that he admitted to possessing an unregistered Iver Johnson's Arms & Cycle Works 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun. The sawed-off shotgun had a barrel length of less than 18 inches and an overall length of less than 26 inches that was not registered to Rondon in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer record, which is required by law.

At the time the gun was recovered, FBI agents, U.S. Capitol Police and state police had gone to his residence to execute a search warrant as Rondon and his mother, Maryann Mooney-Rondon, were being investigated for their alleged criminal activity surrounding the Jan. 6 incursion.

According to U.S. attorneys, the cut barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun was discovered during the search and Rondon admitted that he possessed a sawed-off shotgun, subsequently leading investigators to find the gun hidden on a relative's property in an outbuilding on Cut Off Road in Castorland.

He also pled guilty on Dec. 5, 2022, in federal court in Washington, D.C., to obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony, for his activities inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021.

He and his mother, Mooney-Rondon, 56, were charged in September 2021 with breaching the Capitol doors and entering the suite of then-Speaker of the House Nancy P. Pelosi and disconnecting Pelosi's laptop before placing it in an unidentified man's bag, Rondon's plea agreement states.

Prior to escaping, the pair allegedly grabbed escape hoods with filtration devices that are meant for Congress members and staff in case of emergencies. The hoods were found at the Rondon home.

Mooney-Rondon was found guilty at a trial in March of obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting the theft of government property.

Sentencing for both in connection with the Jan. 6 case is scheduled for Sept. 12 in Washington. Both face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release of up to three years.