A charter boat captain who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6 became a crucial grand jury witness who helped the Justice Department charge a Capitol Police officer for seeking to obstruct the investigation into the attack.
Jacob Hiles, who pleaded guilty to his role in the Capitol riot, testified to a grand jury in October, just before two charges of obstruction of justice were leveled against Capitol Police officer Michael Riley, a 25-year veteran of the force. Riley resigned late last month.
Prosecutors say Riley — who didn’t know Hiles but shared an interest in fishing — sent Hiles Facebook messages urging him to delete incriminating posts about entering the Capitol. But Hiles never deleted the posts, prosecutors say, and instead the Justice Department used them to charge Riley for his attempted obstruction.
Hiles is an exception among the nearly 700 defendants charged for their roles in the Capitol attack. The Justice Department said his cooperation was helpful not only in charging Riley but in identifying another rioter, Hiles’ cousin James Horning. And Hiles turned himself in to the FBI within two weeks of the Capitol attack, expressing contrition for his actions. He also is not accused of any violence or property destruction.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/11/30/capitol-riot-grand-jury-defendants-523511