Ex-Funeral Home Owner Pleads Guilty to Capitol Riot Charges

UPDATE Oct 17, 2024 3:52 PM CDT

Peter Moloney, a former co-owner of a chain of Long Island funeral homes, has pleaded guilty to spraying wasp killer at police and assaulting two journalists during the Capitol riot. The 60-year-old could face up to nine years in prison when he is sentenced in February, the AP reports. Prosecutors said Moloney came to the Capitol "prepared for violence" with protective gear. They said he was part of the first group of rioters to enter the restricted area outside the building and sprayed insecticide at Capitol Police officers, "causing the spray to make contact with the officer's hands, arms, bodies, and heads," Newsday reports. Under the plea deal, the prominent GOP donor will pay restitution for damage to the building and for repairs to a camera he yanked out a journalist's hands.

Jun 7, 2023 6:30 PM CDT

A prominent Republican donor has been charged with spraying wasp insecticide at police officers guarding the US Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. Peter Moloney, 58, was arrested Wednesday in Bayport, New York, CBS News reports. He's charged in Washington, DC, with eight counts, including civil disorder, assaulting a member of the media, and assaulting and resisting police officers. "Moloney did not simply march to the Capitol with other protestors," an FBI agent stated in an affidavit, per NBC News. "He brought protective eyewear, a helmet, and a can of Black Flag Wasp, Hornet & Yellow Jacket Killer."

Moloney co-owns a chain of Long Island funeral homes. Campaign finance data show he's donated thousands of dollars to former President Donald Trump, the Republican National Committee, and other GOP candidates and causes. Charging documents say Moloney's son went to the Capitol with him, but he has not been charged. Dan Moloney, the other company owner, issued a statement to NBC saying, "The alleged actions taken by an individual on his own time are in no way reflective of the core values of Moloney Funeral Home."

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An online network called Sedition Hunters that's identified hundreds of Capitol rioters tied Moloney to the attack two years ago. Members have been critical of the FBI over the fact that Moloney had not been arrested, expressing frustration that he's posted about vacations he's taken while others were charged and convicted. Prosecutors acknowledged the Sedition Hunters' help. Moloney's bond was set Wednesday at $100,000, per News 12 Long Island. He did not answer reporters' questions as he left federal court in Central Islip. (More Capitol riot stories.)