Trevor Phipps
One of Teller County’s most notable links to the attack on the U.S. Capitol building, involving a well-known advocate of Second Amendment rights and a vocal participant in several local protests, Robert Gieswein, known as “Machine Gun Bobby,” has apparently reached a mini-conclusion.
Gieswein, as part of a plea deal, could face considerably more time behind bars, putting an end to a saga that has gained international attention. Also, more details have been revealed, indicating that “Machine Gun Bobby,” was one of the first mob attackers to help shatter a window and enter the building.
A little more than two years ago, Woodland Park was put on the map when Gieswein turned himself into the county jail after a federal arrest warrant was put out for him due to his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Gieswein was charged with several felonies for assaulting capitol police officers with pepper spray and a baseball bat, and he has sat behind bars since he turned himself in on Jan. 18, 2021.
Gieswein, (coined as “Machine Gun Bobby” due to the visible way he carried firearms around the community), initially pleaded not guilty on all of the charges against him and his trial has been postponed multiple times. The trial was slated to begin this spring, but last week his saga may have reached a conclusion, as he decided to plead guilty to two federal charges of assaulting or interfering with a federal officer.
In exchange for his guilty pleas, the federal prosecutors dismissed the nine other counts that they originally filed against Gieswein. However, the Teller County man could still face some serious prison time because each of the two charges he pleaded guilty to carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of parole.
But, according to his plea agreement, the prosecution recommended a prison sentence ranging from three years and five months to four years and three months. And since Gieswein has already spent over two years in jail, he could be released in the next year or so. His sentencing is scheduled for June 9.
Plus, the entire raid on the Capitol is now turning into a political brouhaha between the two major political parties, with former President Donald Trump, who is seeking a return to the Oval office, opting to free all those convicted of crimes pertaining to the assault on the Capitol. Various versions are being unfolded about the incident on cable news, with no shortage of interpretations
Gieswein’s story garnered international attention after he turned himself into the jail in 2021 as multiple British news sources contacted TMJ News for more information surrounding the man and his alleged paramilitary group “Woodland Wild Dogs.” His antics while he was in court also made headlines when the judge had to tell Gieswein to “stop mouthing off.”
According to court paperwork, Gieswein was one of the first people who entered the U.S. Capitol building on the day of the infamous insurrection. Gieswein entered the capitol from a window that he encouraged other rioters around him to break.
The court documents say that starting at 10 a.m. Gieswein met up with members of the Proud Boys and marched from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building. By this time, the building was barricaded by the police to keep people off of the Capitol grounds.
After a large mob broke down the barricades, Gieswein was stopped in the West Plaza by someone with a microphone. He told the person on record that he “would die for this” and that the only solution was to “execute these fascists.”
Just before 2 p.m., Gieswein and others pushed their way up the Capitol steps and met a line of police officers protecting the building’s entrance. Gieswein then sprayed the officers with his aerosol bear spray.
Gieswein then met police officers who tried to roll down metal doors to prevent the rioters from advancing when he kept the officers from shutting the doors and sprayed two more capitol police officers. He then continued on to the Capitol Visitors Center where he sprayed another officer who was trying to arrest a fellow rioter.
Gieswein was arrested along with about 15 other Coloradans for their role in the 2021 Capitol riot. A good portion of the people arrested for the assault have already made plea deals, similar to Gieswein
