A 61-year-old Grafton County man is facing up to six months in jail after he was convicted Thursday of participating in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
During a virtual hearing from the U.S. District Court in Washington, Thomas Raymond Gallagher, of Bridgewater, N.H., pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a U.S. Capitol building. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped three other charges originally brought against him, including remaining in a restricted building; disorderly conduct in a restricted building; and disorderly conduct in a U.S. Capitol building.
The misdemeanor picketing charge carries a jail sentence of up to six months and a fine of up to $5,000.
Gallagher called into the hearing from his home in New Hampshire but did not speak except to answer yes-or-no questions from U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols.
His attorney, Sebastian Norton, told the judge that Gallagher would like to travel to Washington, D.C., to appear in person for his sentencing hearing on Oct. 13.
“It’s his desire to take responsibility for his actions in person and get some closure,” Norton said in court.
Gallagher is one of more than 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 insurrection resulted in around $1.5 million in damages to the building, according to court records, and at least five people died because of the rampage.
During the hearing Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Lehr said Gallagher traveled from New Hampshire to D.C. on Jan. 6 to attend an outdoor rally hosted by Trump. Following the rally, Gallagher walked with other protesters to the Capitol and entered the building illegally, Lehr said. Video surveillance captured Gallagher walking through the building and admonishing another protester for trying to throw a chair, she said.
Gallagher and five other people were arrested in the Capitol Visitor Center after ignoring orders from Capitol police officers to leave the building, Lehr said.
“He regrets the choice to ever enter the Capitol and considers it one of the worst decisions of his life,” Norton wrote of Gallagher in an email following the hearing. “In taking responsibility for his role in the event, Mr. Gallagher hopes to begin the process of healing and moving forward with his life.”
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.
During a hearing last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Meinero said he had offered Gallagher and the five people he was arrested with — who are not Twin State residents — the same plea deal, but that only Gallagher and one other defendant, Michael Curzio, had accepted the deal. The remaining four defendants were still considering the deal as of last week, Meinero said.
Curzio was sentenced to six months in jail as part of his plea and was ordered to pay $500 in restitution, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
The FBI is working to identify 300 more people who they suspect were involved in the riot, CBS reported this week. Out of the over 500 people facing charges in the insurrection, at least 16 had signed a plea deal by Thursday, according to CBS.
According to a financial affidavit, Gallagher has been unemployed since 2018 and before that he was making over $8,000 a month at his previous job, which is not named in court documents. Gallagher lives near Newfound Lake with his wife, Valerie Gallagher, and their 20-year-old daughter, whom they care for, the affidavit said.
Anna Merriman can be reached at amerriman@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.