Jay Johnston Pleads Guilty to Police Interference

An actor who plays a street-brawling newsman in the film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” and a pizza shop owner in the television series “Bob’s Burgers” pled guilty on Monday to interfering with police officers attempting to protect the United States Capitol from a mob attack on January 6, 2021.

Jay Johnston, 55, of Los Angeles, faces up to five years in jail after pleading guilty to civil disorder, a felony. Johnston is expected to be sentenced on October 7 by United States District Judge Carl Nichols.

Stanley Woodward, Johnston’s attorney, instructed his client not to speak to the media as they exited the courthouse.

Johnston, detained last June, is among over 1,400 individuals facing federal charges related to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.

According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, video evidence shows Johnston pushing against police and helping rioters who attacked cops defending the Capitol’s entry in a tunnel on the Lower West Terrace.

According to the complaint, Johnston put a stolen police shield over his head and gave it to other rioters during the incident on January 6, 2021.

Johnston, who “was close to the opening to the tunnel, went back and called for other rioters to come towards the entry,” according to the report.

According to prosecutors, Johnston, dressed in a green khaki neck gaiter and a dark leather jacket, “engaged with other rioters in a group assault on the officers,” and then “joined other rioters in thrusting repeatedly against the defending police officers.”

“The rioters planned the timing of the attacks by yelling ‘Heave! Ho!'” prosecutors said, along with more than a dozen screenshots of video from the event.

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Johnston played Jimmy Pesto on Fox’s “Bob’s Burgers.” According to The Daily Beast in 2021, Johnston was “banned” from the cartoon program following the Capitol attack.

Johnston participated in HBO’s sketch comedy series “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” featuring Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. His credits include minor roles on the television program “Arrested Development” and the film “Anchorman,” which starred Will Ferrell.

Johnston, a Chicago native, began his comedic career by doing theatre at The Second City and Annoyance Theater in Chicago before heading to Los Angeles, CBS Chicago reported.

According to the agent, three current or past colleagues of Johnston identified him as a riot suspect after seeing images published online by the FBI. The FBI claimed one of those contacts sent agents a text message in which Johnston admitted to being at the Capitol on January 6.

“The news reported it as an attack. It wasn’t. I thought it had kind of developed into that. It was a mess. According to the FBI, Johnston reported that he was maced and tear-gassed, which he found unpleasant.

Following the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the Justice Department pursued more than 1,200 criminal prosecutions. More than 700 have pleaded guilty to various crimes, with hundreds more convicted.

Last month, the Supreme Court decided in favor of a former Pennsylvania police officer. He was accused of restricting an official proceeding after entering the United States Capitol building during the riot. This decision limits the Justice Department’s use of a federal obstruction statute against scores of people who breached the structure.

The ruling might have an impact on the continuing prosecutions of roughly 250 people charged with obstruction in connection with the Jan. 6 assault.

According to CBS News, the government has only received a portion of the court-ordered reimbursements for repairs, police injuries, and cleanup of riot-related damage.

Former President Donald Trump has publicly committed to pardoning Jan. 6 criminals but has not said if he will also attempt to postpone their restitution payments.