WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2021) A grand jury has charged a US Capitol Police officer with obstructing justice for urging a person to delete social media posts indicating his presence at the January 6 Capitol riot, a court filing revealed.
"Michael Angelo Riley did knowingly corruptly persuade, and attempt to do so, with intent to cause and induce any person to alter, destroy, mutilate and conceal an object with intent to impair the object's integrity and availability for use in an official proceeding," the filing said.
Riley is charged on two counts of obstructing justice for initiating contact with an unnamed person and urging them to take down social media posts that showed their presence inside the US Capitol complex during the January 6 riot.
"Hey (unnamed person), I'm a capitol police officer who agrees with your political stance. Take down the part about being in the building they are currently investigating and everyone who was in the building is going to be charged. Just looking out!" Riley wrote in his initial message on January 7.
Riley and the individual had never communicated directly before, but were both avid fishermen and members of fishing-related groups, according to the filing. They communicated consistently until January 20, when the individual told Riley he had been interviewed by the FBI and the agency would likely be contacting Riley about their communication. Riley then deleted their Facebook messages, and on January 21, ceased all communications.
Riley was a 25-year veteran of the US Capitol Police Department and worked with its K-9 unit. He was not personally inside the Capitol building during the riot on January 6, the court filing said.
