STROUDSBURG, PA — Two brothers from Stroudsburg, PA, have been arrested on felony charges for assaulting police during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. 

Andrew Valentin, 26, and Matthew Valentin, 31, are accused of disrupting a joint session of the U.S. Congress that had convened to count the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia, they are charged with the felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers. The charges were filed on February 13 in the District of Columbia.

The brothers are also charged with several misdemeanors, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and act of physical violence in the Capitol buildings or grounds.

Andrew Valentin was arrested on February 11 in South Whitehall, PA, and made his initial appearance in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

Matthew Valentin was arrested on February 12 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and made his initial appearance in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

‘Be on the lookout’

The FBI found the brothers through video images take that day. It listed Matthew Valentin as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #336 as it sought more information.

The Valentin brothers are identified in open-source video walking from the Washington Monument along Constitution Avenue towards the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021. They eventually made their way to the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds and climbed a media tower.

At approximately 2:28 p.m., the crowd of rioters, including the Valentin brothers, rushed the police line on the West Plaza. Body-worn camera footage showed the Valentin brothers pushing a bike rack barricade into the police line during the melee. At one point, Matthew Valentin reached his hand through the bike rack barricade and grabbed a U.S. Capitol police officer.

The police fell back and formed a new protective line on the south side of the plaza. As the mob continued to advance on and assault police, Andrew Valentin took out a cellphone and appeared to have recorded the scene. Both brothers approached the new police line. Matthew held a baton in one hand and a spray canister in the other. Less than one minute later, Matthew sprayed what appeared to be a chemical irritant into the line of officers. Officers then retreated from the West Plaza. Matthew took out his cell phone to record the scene.

The brothers then made their way to the Upper West Terrace and approached another line of police officers. Matthew grabbed an officer’s baton. Law enforcement later cleared the crowd from this area, and the brothers returned to the West Plaza. Here, at approximately 5:12 p.m., Andrew Valentin is seen on body-worn camera footage throwing a chair at a line of police officers. Court documents say that the chair struck the shield of a Montgomery County police officer.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case. In the 37 months since the assault on the Capitol, more than 1,313 people have been charged for crimes related to the breach, including more than 469 charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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