Ralph Joseph Celentano III “blindsided” a U.S. Capitol police officer in a “football-type tackle” on Jan. 6, knocking him off a ledge, prosecutors claimed. (U.S. Department of Justice)
A Donald Trump supporter who “blindsided” a U.S. Capitol police officer in a “football-type tackle” on Jan. 6, 2021, knocking him off a ledge learned his fate this week.
Ralph Joseph III, 56, of New York, was sentenced to 78 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release for assaulting law enforcement and other charges from his conduct during the breach of the U.S. Capitol when rioters disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress counting the electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election during a “Stop the Steal” rally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release. He was convicted in June of two felony charges, including assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers and civil disorder and related misdemeanor offenses.
When imposing the sentence, Judge Timothy Kelly told Celentano his conduct was “disgraceful,” and there was no excuse. Kelly called the attack on the officer “a truly cowardly and despicable thing to do.”
The series of events started that day after he was recorded saying, “Someone’s gotta do something!”
When someone off-camera asks, “What do you think we should do?” Celentano replied, “Occupy the Capitol, it’s our building.”
Celentano then worked through thousands of people to get to the front of a mob confronting a police line.
“How dare you pathetic pieces of sh—,” he shouted at the police.
Celentano and other rioters linked arms and marched at police, breaking the police line on the West Plaza. Celentano used his body weight against one officer, fought with others, and chased then shoved one of them.
Celentano then blindsided the officer from behind. Leading with his shoulder, Celentano hit the officer in the back, lifting the officer into the air and over a 5-foot-high ledge, landing on people below.
As Law&Crime reported, still frames from police body-worn cameras extensively document Celentano’s alleged assaults on law enforcement.
The cop who got pushed over the ledge was an Iraq War veteran — identified as “Officer K.E.” He recounted the incident, according to an FBI affidavit.
“I didn’t survive a war to go out like this,” the officer said, according to the document. “Officer K.E. stated his main concern was getting up so he would not be ‘stomped on.””
“He went on to state that he was frightened and no longer felt safe once he was on the lower terrace among such a large crowd. Officer K.E. said he probably suffered injuries during the fall, but he had so much adrenaline at that time that he could not be sure. After January 6, 2021, Officer K.E. did find bumps and bruises on his body but did not seek medical attention.”
Celentano recorded a video of the huge mob and triumphantly proclaimed, “We did it boys, we stormed the Capitol. Here we are, for all to see. A sea of American patriots.”
Afterward, in texts and social media, he posted about fighting Capitol Police and winning and taking over the Capitol, saying “it was a day he would always remember and that he would do it all over again,” authorities said.
Celentano was arrested on March 9, 2022, in New York.
Celentano’s attorney, Marissa Sherman, from the Brooklyn Federal Defenders, did not immediately respond to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
Adam Klasfeld contributed to this report.
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