Westport man pleads guilty to assaulting officers during Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Officials say Benjamin Cohen assaulted multiple officers at the Capitol.

Robyn Karashik

Jul 8, 2024, 8:18 PM

Updated 95 days ago

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The Department of Justice says the Westport man accused of assaulting law enforcement officers on Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol riots has pleaded guilty.
Benjamin Cohen, 22, of Westport, pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.
Authorities identified Cohen as a rioter gathered along a police line on the West Plaza of the Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.
At the time of people pushing through barriers and attacking both Capitol police and Metropolitan police, Cohen was seen near the front of the riot crowd against the West Plaza officer line.
Officials say he then joined other rioters in breaching the line and assaulting officers. They also say at one point, he entered a room in the Capitol through a broken window adjacent to an area known as the “Tunnel.”
The FBI arrested Cohen on Aug. 9, 2023. His sentencing is set for Nov. 8.