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Minnesota Man Arrested for Actions During U.S. Capitol Breach

WASHINGTON — A Minnesota man, Paul Orta Jr., aged 34 and hailing from Blue Earth, has been taken into custody on felony and misdemeanor charges for his involvement in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Orta’s actions, along with those of numerous others, disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress, which had convened to certify the electoral votes of the 2020 presidential election.

A criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia against Orta charges him with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. Additionally, he faces misdemeanor charges of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, as well as disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

Orta was apprehended on November 14, 2023, in Minnesota and is set to make his initial appearance in the District of Minnesota tomorrow, where the charges against him will be formally presented.

According to court documents, footage from open-source videos and body-worn cameras captured on January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol grounds and building, reveals the presence of a man, later identified as Orta. In these videos, Orta can be seen wearing a dark-colored balaclava and brown/green gloves while being present within the restricted perimeter on the west side of the Capitol. The footage shows Orta throwing a section of black metal barricade onto the ground and gesturing for the crowd outside the perimeter to advance.

At around 12:53 p.m., the rioters overwhelmed the officers at the Peace Monument entrance and began advancing towards the Capitol grounds. Law enforcement initially attempted to halt their progress but were eventually forced to retreat. Orta joined the crowd of rioters as they moved up the Pennsylvania Walkway towards the Capitol. In an open-source video, Orta can be seen removing his balaclava and exclaiming, “We’re taking that s— today!”

In an effort to regain control, law enforcement authorities established a new police line closer to the Capitol, using temporary metal bike racks for crowd control. Orta, along with others in the crowd, approached the line of officers and forcefully pulled the bike racks away from them. Orta himself removed at least two sections of the bike rack, throwing them over a concrete wall. Court records indicate that Orta’s actions deprived the officers of vital barricades, facilitating the unlawful advancement of the crowd towards the Capitol. Within minutes, the crowd overwhelmed the law enforcement officers, and Orta continued moving forward with them as they entered the West Plaza of the Capitol. By approximately 1:00 p.m., Orta had made his way to the front of the crowd.

At approximately 1:22 p.m., law enforcement began pushing the crowd back from the Capitol, reclaiming portions of the West Plaza. During this time, Orta was observed throwing an unknown, dark-colored object towards the police line on the west side of the Capitol. Between approximately 2:07 and 2:08 p.m., Orta was still present on the West Plaza, where authorities had formed a police line using the bike rack barricades to prevent the crowd from advancing further. Orta joined other individuals in using his left shoulder to push against the line of officers at the barricade.

Ultimately, the crowd managed to breach the police line, with some rioters reaching the Lower West Terrace and the Upper West Terrace, while others unlawfully entered the Capitol building. After the police line was breached and the crowd reached the terraces, Orta climbed on top of a concrete wall, raising his fist in the air.

This case is being prosecuted jointly by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

Investigation into the events of January 6, 2021, is being conducted by the FBI’s Minneapolis and Washington Field Offices, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Since the events of January 6, 2021, over the course of 34 months, more than 1,200 individuals have been charged across nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol. Among these individuals, over 400 have been charged with felony offenses of assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation into the events of that day remains ongoing.

If you have any information related to this case, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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