Florida man sentenced to 3 years in prison for January 6 riots

Lina Portman2 days ago

0 2 minutes read

The government says Raymund Joseph Cholod “currently works at a McDonald's in Tampa and lives in a homeless shelter.”

A Tallahassee man has been sentenced to nearly 3 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Raymund Joseph Cholod, 54, was sentenced Tuesday to 40 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, by U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta in Washington, D.C.

He pleaded guilty in February to one count of assaulting, resisting or obstructing certain officers, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.

The FBI arrested Cholod in November 2023 in Miami, making him one of thousands of people facing consequences for their participation in the infamous Capitol takeover and riot.

“In the 41 months since January 6, 2021, more than 1,450 people have been charged in nearly all 50 states with crimes related to the U.S. Capitol breach, including more than 500 people charged with assaulting or obstructing law enforcement, a felony,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “The investigation remains ongoing.”

Background to the arrest: Federal authorities say Tallahassee man arrested in Jan. 6 attack on U.S. Capitol, assault on police officers

Although the press release identifies him as a Tallahassee resident, the government's sentencing memorandum filed last month says Cholod “currently works at a McDonald's in Tampa and lives in a homeless shelter, although he owns real estate in New York and Florida.”

He added: “He has a history of mental illness (and) no criminal history other than convictions for traffic violations. Cholod appears to have had a stable upbringing, free of poverty, abuse, or neglect. He had every opportunity to make other choices on January 6, 2021, but he chose to go to the Capitol and attack police for over two hours, all because he was upset about the outcome of an election.”

Cholod was part of the first group of rioters

On January 6, 2021, Cholod was among a crowd of rioters gathered in the Lower West Terrace tunnel that leads to the U.S. Capitol, according to the press release.

Around 2:40 p.m., Cholod was among one of the first groups of rioters in the tunnel, pushing their way to the front and clashing with police.

“For more than two hours, members of the crowd threw objects at police, struck police with objects, sprayed police with chemical irritants, pushed police, and stole items from police defending the tunnel,” the U.S. attorney's office said.

Court documents say Cholod was responsible for throwing a long stick directly at the line of law enforcement officers.

“He pointed at the officers and yelled, among other things, 'This is our house… This is our (expletive) house… They stole it and you know it. They (expletive) stole it,'” the court documents state.

Confidential source leads to arrest

As previously reported, the FBI received a tip from a confidential source in February 2022 linking Cholod to a St. Petersburg motel.

FBI agents interviewed unnamed motel employees. After showing surveillance photos of the U.S. Capitol, two employees said he had been a guest at the property in 2019.

A former direct superior of Cholod was later contacted and identified him as the man in the U.S. Capitol surveillance photos.

You can contact Elena Barrera, a breaking news and trends reporter, at [email protected]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.

The government says Raymund Joseph Cholod “currently works at a McDonald's in Tampa and lives in a homeless shelter.”

Cholod was part of the first group of rioters

Confidential source leads to arrest

Lina Portman

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