Aiden Bilyard, of Cary, sentenced for part in January 6 insurrection

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WGHP) – One of the youngest charged for participating in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Aiden Henry Bilyard of Cary, is headed to federal prison.

Bilyard was 18 when he went to the Capitol that day, and he admitted in a plea agreement last fall that he had sprayed a chemical irritant toward police officers and then used a baseball bat to break out a window as part of the violent attempts by thousands to enter the Capitol and overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Body-worn camera footage of Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police show a man believed to be Aiden Bilyard at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (US Department of Justice)

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton on Friday sentenced Bilyard, now 20, to 3 years and 4 months in prison for assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a deadly and dangerous weapon, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. He also will serve 36 months of supervised release and pay $3,500 in restitution.

The Associated Press said that Bilyard was attending basic training for the Air Force in Texas when the FBI first questioned him several months after the riot. He had been arrested on Nov. 22, 2021, and then indicted on Jan. 26, 2022, after investigators identified him in photographs among the violent supporters of former President Donald Trump who were attempting to disrupt congressional approval of the election of Joe Biden.

An affidavit filed with the court said that Bilyard was identified in footage from a body-worn camera worn by a DC Metropolitan Police Officer. The testimony sworn by an officer who was not named said Bilyard was seen spraying the officer with what later was identified as “bear spray,” which is considered a dangerous weapon.

In October Bilyard entered a plea agreement that eliminated eight of the nine counts – five felonies – with which he had been charged:

Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury.
Civil disorder and aiding and abetting.
Destruction of government property.
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Disorderly conduct in the Capitol grounds or buildings.
Act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

Judge’s strong comments

The News & Observer in Raleigh reported that at sentencing Walton told Bilyard that he had answered “the calls of a demagogue” in support of a group of people who had taken up arms “prepared to destroy this country to get what they wanted. … Age and immaturity are not an excuse for what occurred.”

The News & Observer said that Bilyard’s mother, Amy Bilyard, was sobbing in the courtroom as the verdict was read and that Walton told her to leave if she could not control those emotions.

“I know you’re upset,” the N&O quoted Walton as saying. “Unfortunately, your son did what he did. And as my mother always told me, ‘You make your bed, you have to line in it.’”

North Carolina’s defendants

Bilyard is now the eighth among at least 27 defendants from North Carolina to be sentenced to prison terms, and only James Philip Mault of Fort Bragg received a longer sentence: 44 months plus 3 years of supervised release. One defendant received a suspended sentence.

Among those 27 are six residents of the Piedmont Triad. Some have appeared as witnesses in ongoing sedition trials of the leaders of right-wing militia groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.

One of those Oath Keepers, former High Point Police Officer Laura Steele was convicted Monday along with five others charged with plotting to overthrow the election.

Several more from North Carolina should learn their fates in the next few weeks. Some have completed their sentences.

The Jan. 6 details

A report by the bipartisan Jan. 6 committee confirmed how sometimes armed and violent protestors broke through windows and doors, discarded barricades and overran Capitol police and other guards to parade through the halls of Congress even as members of the House and Senate hid in fear and pleaded for help in securing the building and protecting themselves.

There were hundreds of injuries to law enforcement officers, death threats on the life of Vice President Mike Pence and others, and, ultimately, seven lives were lost during or after the insurrection.

Most recent court records suggest about 1,000 individuals have been arrested in all 50 states. The DOJ said that about 320 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

More than 518 have pleaded guilty, and more than 420 have been sentenced, including jail time for more than 220.

The Jan. 6 cases from North Carolina

Here’s a rundown of the Jan. 6 cases involving North Carolinians based on information posted on the Capitol Breach database.

Stephen Maury Baker

FROM: Garner

ARRESTED: Feb. 1, 2021. ARRAIGNED: April 27, 2021 (pleaded not guilty to two charges).

CHARGES: Pleaded guilty on May 10, 2022, to:

Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

SENTENCE: 24 months of probation after 9 days of intermittent confinement (3 consecutive weekends) and $500 restitution.

Matthew Jason Beddingfield

FROM: Smithfield

ARRESTED: Feb. 8, 2022

CHARGES:

Civil disorder
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous or deadly weapon
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in Capitol building
Impeding passage through Capitol grounds or buildings
Act of physical violence in Capitol grounds or buildings
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: Pleaded guilty on Feb. 16 to a single count of assaulting a police officer. His maximum sentence would be 8 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22.

Bradley Stuart Bennett

FROM: Trinity

ARRESTED: April 12, 2021. INDICTED: April 21, 2021. ARRAIGNED: Pleaded not guilty. ARRAIGNED: April 29, 2021 (pleaded not guilty). REINDICTED ON TRUE BILL: Jan. 1, 2022.

CHARGES:

Obstruction of an official proceeding
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Entering and remaining in the Gallery of Congress
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building
Obstruction of justice/official proceeding

STATUS: He declined a plea deal on Oct. 28 and was scheduled for trial to begin on Feb. 21.

Jeremy Bertino

FROM: Belmont

CHARGED: Oct. 6, 2022.

CHARGES: Bertino is charged as a member of the Proud Boys along with Charles Donohue and pleaded guilty on the same day he was charged, Oct. 6, to two counts. He is expected to testify in the Proud Boys conspiracy trial:

Seditious conspiracy
Unlawful possession of a firearm

STATUS: No sentencing date has been set. He could face 51 to 63 months in prison and fines of $20,000 to $200,000. He has agreed to restitution of $2,000 and could seek to be placed in witness protection. He also waived various rights.

Aiden Bilyard

FROM: Raleigh

ARRESTED: Nov. 22, 2001

CHARGES: Charged on eight counts related to being in the Capitol and wielding a dangerous weapon, he pleaded guilty on Oct. 20 to one count:

Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a deadly and dangerous weapon.

SENTENCE: March 17, 2023, to 3 years and 4 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release and $3,500 in restitution.

David Worth Bowman

FROM: Raleigh

CHARGED: March 7, 2023.

CHARGES: One felony and four misdemeanors:

Obstructing, influencing, or impeding any official proceeding, or attempting to do so (felony).
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds.
Entering or remaining on the floor of a House of Congress without authorization.
Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in any of the Capitol Buildings.

STATUS: Arrested on March 7 and made his first appearance in Greenville, N.C.

Lewis Easton Cantwell

FROM: Asheville

INDICTED: Feb. 5, 2021. ARRESTED: Feb. 18, 2021.

CHARGES: Pleaded guilty on March 24, 2022, to Count 1 of six original charges:

Obstructing, impeding or interfering with law enforcement during the commission of civil disorder and aiding and abetting.

SENTENCED: Dec. 6, 2022, to 5 months in prison. 3 years of probation.

Christopher Carnell

FROM: Cary

CHARGED: March 2, 2023.

CHARGES: One felony and four misdemeanors:

Obstructing, influencing, or impeding any official proceeding, or attempting to do so (felony).
Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority.
Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds.
Entering or remaining on the floor of a House of Congress without authorization.
Parading, demonstrating, or picketing in any of the Capitol Buildings.

STATUS: Arrested on March 2 and made his first appearance in Greenville, N.C.

Charles Donohoe

FROM: Kernersville

ARRESTED: March 17, 2021. ARRAIGNED: April 6, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: March 7, 2022.

CHARGES: Pleaded guilty on April 8, 2022, to two of six original charges:

Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers

STATUS: Donohoe was state president of Proud Boys and was affiliated with five members charged with seditious conspiracy. No sentencing date is set. He faces up to 8 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000. The judge has said jail time is likely. He is expected to testify this year against the leaders of the Proud Boys.

Edward George Jr.

FROM: Fayetteville

ARRESTED: July 24, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: Superseding indictment of 9 charges in July 2021

CHARGES:

Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Entering and remaining in the Gallery of Congress
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building
Civil disorder
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers
Theft of government property, aiding and abetting

STATUS: No update to his file since August 2021. He remains free on personal recognizance.

Joseph David Gietzen

FROM: Sanford

INDICTED: April 1, 2022. ARRESTED: May 11, 2022.

CHARGES: He is shown in the court filings as struggling with police outside the Capitol. In one video, the filing says, “an officer winds up surrounded by members of the crowd and Gietzen appears to grab the officer by the throat or face mask.” He later is seen holding a long pole and seen to “hit the officer next to him with the pole, striking him in the shoulder between his protective gear.” He also is identified, the report says, as being in the front of the throng and extending the poll as they attempt to get past law enforcement officers.

Civil disorder aiding and abetting
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, 2 counts
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, using a dangerous weapon
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds
Acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings

STATUS: No update since May 11.

Tate James Grant

FROM: Cary

ARRESTED: Oct. 14, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: Dec. 15, 2021

CHARGES: The charging document says that video images show Grant inside the Senate offices.

Civil disorder
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon or inflicting bodily injury
Obstruction of an official proceeding
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Entering and remaining in certain rooms in the Capitol building
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: No update since Dec. 20, 2021.

Johnny Harris

FROM: Shelby

ARRESTED: March 18, 2021. ARRAIGNED: May 27, 2021 (pleaded not guilty).

CHARGES:

Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority
Knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions
Engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds
Engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on the Capitol buildings or grounds
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: Pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor charge. Could face 8 to 14 months in prison. No date for sentencing has been announced.

Ethan Stephen Horn

FROM: Raleigh

ARRESTED: April 9, 2021. CHARGED: April 13, 2021. ARRAIGNED: April 27, 2021 (pleaded not guilty)

CHARGES:

Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: Remains on personal recognizance. There has been no update since September 2021.

James Little

FROM: Claremont

CHARGES:

Pleaded guilty to Count 4 of five original charges: Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

SENTENCED: March 21, 2022, to 60 days in jail to be followed by 36 months of probation and $500 restitution.

Phillip James Mault

FROM: Fort Bragg

CHARGES:

Pleaded guilty on April 22, 2022, to assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, one of seven charges he had faced with codefendant Cody Mattice.

SENTENCED: July 15 to 44 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release and $2,000 restitution.

Cleveland Meredith Jr.

FROM: Hayesville

ARRESTED: Jan. 8, 2021. INDICTED: Feb. 26, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: April 2, 2021. ARRAIGNED: Aug. 11, 2021 (pleaded not guilty).

CHARGES: He arrived in Washington armed and was founded to have made threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others. He pleaded guilty on Sept. 10, 2021, to one count of four.

Interstate communication and threats

SENTENCED: Dec. 14, 2021, to 28 months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release.

Benjamin Robinson

FROM: Matthews

ARRESTED: May 20, 2022

CHARGES: Investigators say they identified a man named Linwood Robinson by matching video to a prior arrest photo and his cell phone records. Benjamin Robinson is one of Linwood Robinson’s two sons (with Linwood Alan Robinson II, a daughter-in-law (Brittany Nicole Robinson) and an unnamed grandchild who were observed inside the Capitol building. The report says they were unlawfully on the grounds and engaged in disorderly and disruptive conduct. It’s unclear why the complaint lists only one family member.

Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: No update since the arrest. He is free on personal recognizance.

Anthony Joseph Scirica

FROM: Winston-Salem

ARRESTED: June 16, 2021. CHARGED: July 8, 2021

CHARGES:

Pleaded guilty to one of four original charges: Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

SENTENCED: Jan. 20, 2022, to 15 days of incarceration, $500 fine and $500 restitution.

Dale Jeremiah “DJ” Shalvey

FROM: Conover

CHARGED WITH: His wife, Tara Aileen Shalvey

ARRESTED: March 9, 2021. INDICTED: April 30, 2021. ARRAIGNED: May 18, 2021 (pleaded not guilty to all charges). SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: Feb. 2, 2022

CHARGES: Charged with his wife, he pleaded guilty on Oct. 3 to two counts of the original six he had faced and agreed to cooperate with investigators by allowing them access to his social media accounts:

Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
Assaulting a police officer

STATUS: He was scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24 and could face a prison sentence of 41 to 51 months and fines between $15,000 and $150,000.

Grayson Sherrill

FROM: Cherryville

ARRESTED: March 1, 2001. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: Dec. 16, 2021

CHARGES:

Civil disorder
Assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, using a dangerous or deadly weapon
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a dangerous or deadly weapon
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, with a deadly or dangerous weapon
Engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
Act of physical violence in Capitol grounds or buildings
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

His charges were separated from the original indictment that included Elliot Bishal and Elisa Irizarry. No update since Jan. 3, 2022.

STATUS: Pleaded guilty on Feb. 3 to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers. He faces a statutory maximum of 8 years in prison. A sentencing hearing has been set for May 1.

Christopher Raphael (Chris) Spencer (indicted with Virginia Marie Spencer)

FROM: Winston-Salem

ARRESTED: Jan. 19, 2021. CHARGED: Jan. 23, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: March 10, 2021. ARRAIGNMENT: Pleaded not guilty to all counts on March 31, 2021.

CHARGES: Video evidence listed in the statement of facts showed Spencer at various times inside the Capitol during the insurrection. He is said to be among a group of men who were berating and cursing police officers and yelling “break it down” at the door to the House of Representatives.

Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
Entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Disorderly conduct in Capitol building
Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

STATUS: No update since Aug. 4, 2021, following a status conference.

Virginia Marie (Jenny) Spencer

FROM: Durham

ARRESTED: Feb. 8, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: March 10, 2021. ARRAIGNMENT: Pleaded not guilty to all counts on March 31, 2021.

CHARGES:

Pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2021, to one of five original counts: Parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building

SENTENCED: Jan. 19, 2022, to 90 days incarceration, $500 restitution

Laura Steele

FROM: Thomasville

ARRESTED: Feb. 17, 2021. CHARGED: March 12, 2021. EIGHTH SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: June 22, 2022

CHARGES: She is one of eight defendants from the Oath Keepers and is named in seven of nine charges.

Conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding
Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting
Conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties
Destruction of government property and aiding and abetting
Disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds
Civil disorder and aiding and abetting
Tampering with documents and proceedings and aiding and abetting (she’s the only one of several charged with this). Burned and destroyed evidence in involvement in the attack

STATUS: Trial is underway.

Tara Aileen Stottlemyer

FROM: Conover

AKA: Tara Aileen Shalvey, charged with Dale Jeremiah “DJ” Shalvey

ARRESTED: Sept. 14, 2021. SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT: Feb. 2, 2022

CHARGES: Charged with her husband, she pleaded guilty on Oct. 3 to one count of the original five she had faced and agreed to cooperate with investigators by allowing them access to her social media accounts:

Obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting

STATUS: She was scheduled to be sentenced and could face a prison sentence of 15 to 21 months and fines between $7,500 and $75,000.

William Todd Wilson

FROM: Newton Grove

CHARGED: May 4, 2022.

CHARGES: He is a member of the Oath Keepers charged with leader Stewart Rhodes on two counts and is said to have helped plan the attack and destroyed his cell phone. He is said to be the first Oath Keeper to enter the Capitol. He pleaded guilty on the day he was charged, May 4.

Seditious conspiracy
Obstruction of an official proceeding

STATUS: He has agreed to testify in ongoing court cases. No sentencing date has been set. He could face a prison term of between 63 and 78 months and fines of $25,000 to $250,000. He has agreed to $2,000 in restitution and waived various rights.