Dawsonville man pleads guilty to being involved in U.S. Capitol riots

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — A Dawsonville man has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges alleging his involvement in riots at the U.S. Capitol last January.

According to the plea deal, Benjamin Henry Torre admitted to attending former President Donald Trump’s Stop the Steal rally on January 6 before entering the U.S. Capitol through a broken window during the riots.

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Torre pleaded guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building. Court records show that in exchange for pleading guilty to that charge, the other charges against him would not be prosecuted. It’s unclear what those other charges were.

Court documents state that Torre spent about 15 minutes inside the Capitol.

Once he got inside the building and walked around a bit, Torre said he found himself in room with “what appeared to be a conference table in the middle and a white couch.”

That room was later determined to be the Senate Spouse’s lounge.

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Torre said after that, he saw a line of officers and told them, “We are here in support of you and we back the blue.”

The complaint says Torre was also caught on video in a smaller room that was identified as belonging to Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley.

He then left the Capitol through the same broken window he entered through.

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The maximum sentence Torre could face is up to six months in prison and up to five years of probation. The terms of the plea deal state he will also be ordered to pay $500 in restitution.

Georgia's connection to the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol

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