Federal prosecutors warned of a potential surge in January 6 charges, including possibly more than 1,000 new people being arrested.
Matthew Graves, the United States attorney in Washington D.C., sent a letter to the chief judge of the Washington D.C. federal court, warning that the Department of Justice could charge another 700 to 1,200 new defendants in connection with the Jan. 6 riot, Bloomberg reported. So far, the Department of Justice said it has arrested at least 999 people in connection with the riot, meaning that the department could more than double its current number of arrests.
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“We expect the pace of bringing new cases will increase, in an orderly fashion, over the course of the next few months,” Graves wrote. Despite the estimated total of new prosecutions given, he added that the total could change, as the Justice Department continues to “evaluate changing resources and circumstances.”
Graves said that estimating the number of upcoming cases is “incredibly difficult” due to the “nature and the complexity of the investigation.” He also said that he believes that a higher portion of these charges will be felonies rather than misdemeanors.
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Arrests have been made in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in connection with the riot, according to the Justice Department. Approximately 420 defendants have been sentenced.