U.S. Attorneys Warns Demonstrators Any Violence At Texas State Capitol Will Be Vigorously Prosecuted

The U.S. Attorneys representing the four districts in Texas have announced their intent to prosecute any crimes committed at the state capitol or otherwise violate federal law ahead of the upcoming presidential inauguration.

“The First Amendment is a cherished right and bedrock principle of our great nation,” said United States Attorney Stephen J. Cox. “Those who intend to commit crimes at the Texas State Capitol, rather than peacefully demonstrate, can expect to be met with a swift response by law enforcement and prosecution by our office.”

U.S. Attorney Cox joins his counterparts. They are U.S. Attorneys Gregg N. Sofer and Ryan K. Patrick and Acting U.S. Attorney Prerak Shah of the Western, Southern, and Northern Districts of Texas. They warn those planning to cross state lines to commit crimes in Texas or at the state capitol.

As the chief law enforcement officers in each of the federal districts, the U.S. Attorneys will be working with federal, state, and local law enforcement throughout the state to identify crimes that violate federal law aggressively. The plan is to ensure that anyone arrested for committing looting, violence, or any other crime related to protests or similar events on or about inauguration will be processed and held in federal custody pending further criminal proceedings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) in the District of Columbia (D.C.) is prosecuting those that have been or that they identify as allegedly committing crimes during the riots last week. The Texas U.S. Attorneys will also be working with the Department of Justice (DOJ) officials and necessary law enforcement in those prosecutions. Any questions regarding those matters, you should direct questions to the DOJ Office of Public Affairs or the USAO in D.C.