South Carolina man who assaulted officers during Capitol riot sentenced to 40 months in prison

WALHALLA, S.C. (WCBD)- An Upstate South Carolina man who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced on Thursday to three years in prison.

A U.S. District judge sentenced 30-year-old Thomas Andrew Casselman, of Walhalla, S.C., to 40 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $2,000 in restitution.

He pleaded guilty to a felony count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers in March.

Prosecutors said Casselman traveled from his home to Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, to participate in the “Stop the Steal” rally. After the rally, he joined the crowd making their way toward the Capitol building, ending up in an area guarded by Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers.

According to court documents, Casselman taunted officers with a copy of the U.S. Constitution and told them they were “fighting the wrong fight.”

“Minutes later, the police line began to fall as officers were overwhelmed by the size and the violence of the crowd,” prosecutors said in a news release. “As other rioters fought with officers, Casselman stepped forward and deployed a canister of oleoresin capsicum-based spray (bear spray) in close range of several officers.”

Officials with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said the spray directly hit multiple officers near their faces, leaving bright orange residue on their clothing and equipment, and impairing their vision.

Casselman was identified after the FBI released several images of him. Tipsters told the FBI that he bragged about being at the Capitol that day and showed them photos and videos of the trip.

He deactivated his Facebook for about three months, but tipsters provided screenshots confirming he was in DC around Jan. 6. In addition to deleting his account, a witness told the FBI that Casselman also cut his hair after the riot.

The FBI interviewed Casselman and he admitted to being in Washington on January 6, 2021. He told investigators that “he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from January 6,” which is why he deleted the photos and videos from that day.

Authorities also found that days after the attack, Casselman made multiple online searches, including, “the statute of limitations for assault on a police officer,” “charges for dc rioters,” “assaulting a federal officer punishment,” “what is the definition of a domestic terrorist,” and “how long does Verizon keep text messages,” and “fbi wanted list.”

He was arrested in March 2023.

More than 1,470 individuals have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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