Here’s where the cases stand against 2 Centre County men charged in the U.S. Capitol riot
The prosecutions of two Centre County men charged in connection with the violent attempt by thousands of Donald Trump supporters to stop the certification of the former president’s election defeat remain ongoing one year later.
Julian Khater and Brian Gundersen, both with ties to State College, are among the more than 725 people who have so far been accused of crimes related to the breach of the Capitol.
More than five dozen are from Pennsylvania, leaving the Keystone State with one of the highest totals in the country. Most cases remain in legal gridlock as the Justice Department works through one of the largest and most complex criminal investigations in the nation’s history.
Here’s where each case with a Centre County connection sits:
Julian Khater
Khater was one of two men accused of assaulting U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with a chemical spray during the riot. Sicknick died one day later. The Washington medical examiner’s office found he died of natural causes.
Khater, the former co-owner of Frutta Bowls in State College, was not charged in his death. Sicknick stood guard with other officers behind metal bicycle racks as the mob approached the Capitol.
“Give me that bear (expletive),” Khater said before he reached George Tanios’ backpack, according to a court document. Khater was seen holding a can of chemical spray less than eight feet from Sicknick and two other officers, federal prosecutors said.
The officers reacted one by one after they were hit with the spray, according to a court document. Each brought their hands to their face and rushed to find water to flush out their eyes.
Khater pleaded not guilty. A federal judge ruled in May that Khater must remain jailed as he awaits trial, writing that Khater would “pose a danger to the community if released.”
Defense lawyers Chad Seigel, Joseph Tacopina and Alvin Thomas Jr. did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Brian Gundersen
Gundersen, who once played football at a high school in New York, was living in State College when he traveled to the rally that preceded the riot. He was charged after several people, including the school district’s superintendent, spotted his varsity jacket amid the crowd.
Gundersen admitted to entering the Capitol during the riot, federal prosecutors wrote, but claimed he was pushed into the building. He stayed for about 10 minutes.
“We all stormed the us capital (sic) and tried to take over the government,” Gundersen wrote two days after the riot, prosecutors said. “We failed but f--- it.”
Prosecutors sent Gundersen a plea offer, according to a court document filed in August. The offer would not be considered, Assistant Federal Public Defender Eugene Ohm wrote, until he received all of the government’s evidence.
Ohm declined comment Wednesday. Gundersen pleaded not guilty and remains free. His arraignment is scheduled for Friday.