Capitol Rioter Who Stole Nancy Pelosi's Lectern Pleads Guilty

Adam Johnson, 36, was arrested in January for his role in the U.S. Capitol insurrection.
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Adam Johnson carries the lectern of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi through the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.
Win McNamee via Getty Images

A Florida man who became infamous after he was caught on camera walking off with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 has pleaded guilty in his case.

On Tuesday, 36-year-old Adam Johnson pleaded guilty to a federal charge of entering a restricted building, which is a misdemeanor, according to a court affidavit obtained by CBS News

He took a plea deal and now faces six months in jail and fines of up to $9,500.

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A Florida man has pleaded guilty for stealing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's lectern during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Tom Williams via Getty Images

According to the court affidavit, Johnson was part of a mob of Trump supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol that day. Once inside, Johnson found the lectern with the House speaker’s emblem and took it “because he believed it would make a good prop for a picture,” prosecutors alleged in court documents.

With his smile and wave, Johnson ended up becoming one of the most recognizable faces of the insurrection during a time when now-President Joe Biden was preparing to take office.

Johnson was arrested at his Florida home two days after the attack on the Capitol. Steven D’Antuono, assistant director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, told the Los Angeles Times in January that anyone who was involved in the insurrection would be arrested.

“Just because you left the D.C. region, you can still expect a knock on the door if we find out that you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol,” said D’Antuono.

More than 700 people have been arrested so far for their participation in the riot that day.

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