A Grafton County man accused of participating in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol has signed a plea deal which could see three of his four charges dropped.
During a status conference held by phone from the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Meinero said Thomas Gallagher, of Bridgewater, N.H., has signed the deal agreeing to plead guilty to the sole count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors have agreed to drop the remaining three charges of entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct in a restricted building and violent conduct in a Capitol building.
During the hearing, prosecutors said the plea deal comes with “conditions” but did not elaborate on the nature of the conditions. Calls to Meinero and Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr for further information on the plea were not returned Friday.
If the plea deal is accepted during a hearing next week, Gallagher could face a fine, up to six months in prison, or both according to the U.S. Code on United States Capitol Buildings and Grounds.
Gallagher appeared by phone for the hearing but did not speak Friday.
He is one of over 500 people arrested and accused of breaking into the U.S. Capitol building in January as Congress was attempting to certify Joe Biden’s electoral college victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
The FBI has said they have yet to identify 300 more alleged participants, according to CBS news.
Gallagher pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him on Jan. 22 and was released with conditions including that he not travel to Washington, D.C., that he not possess firearms and that out-of-state and international travel be approved by authorities.
His case is being heard along with five other people, who are not from the Upper Valley, because they were all arrested together in the Capitol Visitor Center, according to prosecutors.
“The six individuals, like others in the larger crowd, willfully refused the order to leave,” an affidavit written by Capitol Police Officer Joseph Bruno said.
Gallagher’s attorney Sebastian Norton told the Washington Post that Gallagher arrived in Washington in a bus he had taken with other protesters from Massachusetts.
All six defendants in Gallagher’s case were offered the same plea deal, Meinero said at the hearing.
Only Gallagher and one other defendant have signed the deal, while the others are still considering it, Meinero said.
Of the 535 arrested in connection with the riot, 13 had pleaded guilty to related charges as of earlier this week and only one had been sentenced CBS reported.
Gallagher could not be reached for comment on the case, and calls to Norton were not returned Friday.
According to a financial affidavit, Gallagher has been unemployed since 2018 and before that was making over $8,000 a month at a previous, unnamed job.
Gallagher lives near Newfound Lake in a $300,000 home with his wife, Valerie Gallagher, and their 20-year-old daughter, whom they care for, according to the affidavit.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.