Richard Ackerman, a 22-year-old man from Salem, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to charges related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ackerman admitted to stealing a Capitol police officer’s helmet during the chaos and referred to it as his “war trophy.” He then entered a restricted building on Capitol grounds before returning to New Hampshire with the stolen helmet. The FBI recovered the helmet from Ackerman’s home in June 2022, along with evidence that he had thrown a water bottle at officers inside the Lower West Terrace Tunnel.
Ackerman’s sentencing is set for July 25 in Washington, D.C., as part of the ongoing legal proceedings against more than 1,300 individuals involved in the Capitol attack. His actions, which included theft of government property and civil disorder, are part of a larger investigation into the events of that day. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia highlighted Ackerman’s case as part of the effort to hold those responsible for the insurrection accountable for their actions.
