Marion County man to accept plea deal in Capitol Hill riot case

Michael Curzio to appear in federal court on Monday

Michael Curzio (Marion County Jail)

WASHINGTON, DC – One of the first Central Florida residents arrested in connection with the January riot on Capitol Hill will enter a plea agreement, according to federal court records.

Michael Curzio, of Summerfield in Marion County, is scheduled to attend a plea agreement hearing in Washington on Monday.

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Curzio was initially supposed to appear in court on Friday for a status hearing, but that hearing has now been cancelled, according to court records.

It is not known which charges he will agree to plead guilty to, nor the terms of his proposed sentence.

Curzio was arrested on Jan. 14 by federal agents, and he was officially charged with entering a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry in the Capitol Building and parading or demonstrating in the Capitol Building.

A federal statement of facts produced by the United States Capitol Police shows that as throngs of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6 as Congress was preparing to certify electoral votes confirming President Joe Biden’s win, Curzio managed to make his way to the upper level of the United States Capitol Visitor Center near the door to the House atrium.

“In a loud and clear voice, Capitol Police Officers ordered the crowd to leave the building. The crowd did not comply and instead responded by shouting and cursing at the Capitol Police officers,” the statement read.

Curzio and the five others who were with him in the area were arrested and issued citations to appear, records show.

According to online records, Curzio served eight years in prison on a charge of attempted first-degree murder. He was released from prison in February 2019, records show.

Twenty-one other residents of Central Florida have been charged in connection with the Capitol Hill riot.


About the Author

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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