Capitol Rioter Sentenced to Over 6 Years for Assaulting Officer

Ralph Joseph Celentano III, who pushed a police officer over a ledge during the Jan. 6 riot, was described by the sentencing judge as having done a 'truly cowardly and despicable thing.'

• Ralph Joseph Celentano III, a participant in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for assaulting a police officer and other charges.
• Celentano, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, tackled Officer Kenrick Ellis from behind and pushed him over a ledge during the riot.
• Judge Timothy J. Kelly described Celentano's actions as 'disgraceful' and his attack on the officer as 'a truly cowardly and despicable thing to do.'
• Celentano was among more than 1,265 people charged in connection with the Capitol riot, according to the Justice Department.
• Officer Ellis, who served in the military in Iraq, testified that he thought during the fighting outside the Capitol that was how it 'was going to end' for him.

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