NJ Man Who Stole Pelosi's Microphones In Jan. 6 Riots Sentenced

MAYS LANDING, NJ — The Mays Landing man who admitted to stealing two of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern microphones in the Jan. 6 insurrection was sentenced Friday to 10 days in prison.

Robert Lee Petrosh, 52, will be subject to one year of supervised release and a $1,000 fine and must pay $938 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. He also has to return the microphones.

The sentence was part of a plea agreement in which Petrosh pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property.

In exchange for his plea, the government dropped Petrosh's original charges, which included entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Petrosh was part of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to try to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

In a standoff with U.S. Capitol Police officers, Petrosh said, "Give us Nancy, and we will leave," according to court documents.

While inside the Capitol, Petrosh smoked a cigarette and stole both microphones from Pelosi's lectern, court documents said. Petrosh texted a friend on Jan. 9: "Got your souvenir ... Microphone from congress hall," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

An anonymous tipster shared the news of Petrosh's involvement, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

A person called the FBI to say that the person's grandmother had spoken with Petrosh's mother and told her of Petrosh entering the Capitol, court documents said. The same person said that Petrosh had been "lying low" following the arrests of others who entered the Capitol building that day, the documents said.