Mahopac Man Pleads Guilty To Entering Capitol During Riot

MAHOPAC, NY — A Mahopac man is the first Hudson Valley resident to admit to illegally entering the U.S. Capitol during the riot Jan. 6.

Robert Ballesteros, 27, pleaded guilty Thursday to "parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to court documents.

The misdemeanor charge carries a maximum sentence of six months in prison, a fine of not more than $5,000 and an obligation to pay interest or penalties on fines and restitution not made in a timely manner.

Ballesteros said he drove from New York to Washington, D.C., to attend the Stop the Steal rally Jan. 6 to protest the election results.

He eventually got inside the Capitol after others broke into one of the main entrances.

Ballesteros recorded a video inside the U.S. Capitol in which he shouted "we broke it" and "we are in the Capitol." He posted the video to social media.

He admitted in court that he "knew at the time he entered the U.S. Capitol Building that he did not have permission to enter the building, and … paraded, demonstrated or picketed," the court document said.

Ballesteros turned himself in to the FBI in Westchester County March 15 after a tip that said he posted a video and had an online conversation about storming the Capitol.

He is one of nine current or former Hudson Valley residents to be charged in relation to the riot of Jan. 6.