Former Connecticut alderman Gino DiGiovanni Jr. from Derby has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds for his involvement in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. He originally faced several other misdemeanors but they were dropped under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. DiGiovanni faces up to a year in jail when sentenced in April, although his lawyer, Martin J. Minnella, hopes that his client will be spared jail time.
DiGiovanni stated that he traveled to Washington that day to hear a speech by Donald Trump and followed the crowd to the Capitol. He claims he entered the building through a door being held open by a Capitol Police officer, looked around briefly, and then left without engaging in any violence. DiGiovanni has defended his actions, stating that he did not go there to overthrow the government and did not anticipate an insurrection.
He had lost the mayoral general election in Derby, where he is a former alderman, but had won the Republican mayoral primary while facing criminal charges. More than 1,265 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol riot, and the federal investigation into the events of that day is continuing, including federal conspiracy charges against former President Donald Trump.
DiGiovanni, who is a contractor by trade and was not an alderman at the time of the riot, won the Republican mayoral primary and was elected to Derby’s Board of Aldermen in November 2021. He was charged with being in the Capitol illegally based on photos turned up by online sleuths. He lost the general election to the Democratic nominee, Joseph DiMartino, after the three-term incumbent, Richard Dziekan, ran as an independent.
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