AS CHARGED

Jan. 6 Rioter Accused of Helping to Steal Pelosi’s Laptop Pleads Guilty

Rafael Rondon, 25, now faces up to 20 years for obstructing an official proceeding.

A New York man accused of involvement in the theft of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s laptop pleaded guilty on Monday to a felony charge relating to his participation in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Rafael Rondon, of Watertown, New York, pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting in the obstruction of an official proceeding, the Justice Department said in a statement. Court documents state that Rondon, 25, and his mother, Maryann Mooney-Rondon, 56, illegally entered the Capitol during the riot and entered Pelosi’s office suite. “They then moved into a conference room, where they assisted an unidentified male in the theft of a laptop,” the statement added. Both Rondon and his mother then “stole an escape hood with a satchel, a filtering respiratory protective device maintained for members of Congress and staff.” Rondon could be jailed for up to 20 years at his sentencing in March. Mooney-Rondon has pleaded not guilty.