Candidate for George Santos’ old seat convicted for his actions in January 6 Capitol attack
By Avery Lotz, CNN
(CNN) — A New York man who filed to run for ousted Rep. George Santos’ seat in the House of Representatives was found guilty of several charges stemming from the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.
A federal grand jury found Philip Sean Grillo guilty earlier this week of a total five charges, including obstruction of an official proceeding, a felony.
Grillo entered the Capitol building on January 6 through a broken window carrying a megaphone and said once inside that he was there to “stop the steal,” according to the Justice Department.
“It’s our f- house!” he exclaimed before making his way further into the building, where he filmed himself smoking marijuana and saying, “We f- did it, you understand? We stormed the Capitol,” according to the Justice Department.
YouTube footage from that day showed Grillo in a crowd that chanted “Fight for Trump!” while physically confronting law enforcement officers, according to court filings. He entered and exited the Capitol building several times, the Justice Department said.
The FBI identified Grillo using footage of the Capitol attack that showed him in a jacket embroidered with the seal of the Knights of Columbus chapter to which Grillo belonged, according to court documents.
The Justice Department noted that during the trial, the 49-year-old testified he had “no idea” Congress met inside the Capitol building – yet he also said he was running for congressional office in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, previously represented by Santos.
Earlier this month, Santos became the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from Congress after a scathing House Ethics Committee report concluded he “sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit.”
Grillo filed to run for the seat in May, according to the Federal Election Commission. His statement of candidacy is still listed by the FEC.
On Tuesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a special election to fill Santos’ seat will be held on February 13.
A date has yet to be set for Grillo’s sentencing.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
