North Georgia man, two sons arrested in breach of US Capitol |

ATLANTA – A Georgia man and his two adult sons have been arrested on charges related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

William Gallagher, 55, of Ellijay, was charged Monday with misdemeanor, felony and misdemeanor charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly conduct and demonstrating in the Capitol.

The FBI also arrested Gallagher’s two adult sons – James Gallagher, 22, and Thomas Gallagher, 25 – on misdemeanor charges related to the attack on the Capitol.

According to court documents, Capitol surveillance footage shows William Gallagher entering the Rotunda shortly after its doors were breached. He then made his way to Statuary Hall and back to the Rotunda before calling his two sons.

William Gallagher then joined other rioters in forcing open the Rotunda doors to open them from the inside.

Court documents say he placed his gloved hands on a Capitol Police officer and violently pulled him away from the door. He then put his hands on the officer again and, with the help of another rioter, pushed him out of the entrance. As a result, the Rotunda’s doors were breached, allowing rioters to stream into the building.

At this point, Gallagher’s two sons entered the building through the rotunda doors and met their father in the rotunda. The three men then made their way to the Senate chamber.

A short time later, law enforcement officers began clearing the area of ​​rioters, and the three men left the Capitol through the Rotunda doors.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia provided assistance.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Atlanta and Washington field offices with assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.