WASHINGTON – A Kansas man pleaded guilty on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, to a felony offense related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Christopher Kuehne, 50, of Olathe, Kansas, pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder before U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly. Judge Kelly scheduled Kuehne to be sentenced on Feb. 23, 2024.
According to court documents, Kuehne, associated with the Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, made plans with other members of the group to attend a rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021. Prior to his arrival, Kuehne sent a message to others in the group regarding a potential confrontation with Antifa and BLM, stating, “Be prepared not only to beat down but when you do action of violence so utterly massive that we send a message.”
Kuehne traveled to Arlington, Virginia, on Jan. 4, 2021, with other members of the Proud Boys chapter. On Jan. 6, Kuehne met with a larger group of Proud Boys at the Washington Monument. Kuehne, wearing a ballistic helmet and carrying protective gloves, then made his way to the U.S. Capitol, shouting, among other things, “Whose streets? Our streets!”
Kuehne and others in the group proceded to the west side of the Capitol’s grounds and gathered outside of the barricades. Shortly before 1 p.m., the crowd breached the barriers and surged toward the Capitol building, allowing Kuehne and others in the group to move past multiple lines of barricades and toward the Lower West Plaza, inside the restricted area. Kuehne remained on the west front of the Capitol for more than an hour, ignoring law enforcement commands to disperse. Eventually, Kuehne made his way to the base of the Capitol and onto the Upper West Terrace. Kuehne entered the Capitol through the Senate Wing Door at approximately 2:25 p.m.
Once inside the building, Kuehne and others in the group made their way to the Crypt. Kuehne and others in the group maneuvered a portable lectern to block police from closing a door in the Crypt that would have prevented the group from moving further throughout the building. Kuehne and others then moved from the Crypt to the Capitol Visitor Center and eventually left the building through the Senate Wing Door. Kuehne later deleted materials from his phone that he had sent to others in the group and encouraged others to do the same.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Department of Justice’s National Security Division. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.
This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Kansas City and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.
In the 32 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,146 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 398 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.