A Princeton senior pleaded not guilty Tuesday to felony and misdemeanor charges related to the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Appearing via video conference in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Larry Fife Giberson ’23 was arraigned following his March 14 arrest. Giberson, 21, is charged with civil disorder and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, among other charges.
Stephen Rancourt, assistant U.S. attorney, said the government would provide its discovery materials to Giberson and his attorney, Charles Burnham, by April 26. Rancourt said he would provide Giberson with a plea offer soon after.
Judge Carl J. Nichols set another status conference for June 15.
Giberson, of Manahawkin, N.J., is majoring in politics, The Daily Princetonian reported last month, and the University’s James Madison Program lists him among its 2022-23 undergraduate fellows. According to The Prince, Giberson was present in his nine-person seminar “Religious Existentialism” 12 minutes after the hearing concluded.
The University’s Rights, Rules, Responsibilities policy manual lists “deliberate participation in a riot” that threatens the University or local community among the offenses regarded as “extremely serious.” When asked last month whether Giberson will graduate this spring, Princeton spokesman Michael Hotchkiss sent a statement saying only that Giberson is currently enrolled as an undergrad.
The federal government alleges that on Jan. 6, 2021, Giberson was among rioters who clashed with law enforcement at the Lower West Terrace at the Capitol. Giberson was part of a “coordinated ‘heave-ho’ ” as rioters attempted to push past law enforcement, according to the government’s statement of facts.
Giberson was pushed back from the front line of the crowd before waving others into the tunnel entrance to the building. Police regained control of the tunnel, pushing Giberson and other rioters out.
He remained nearby for several minutes, and nearly an hour after he first entered the tunnel, Giberson yelled “drag them out!” at least three times, according to court documents.
The FBI posted images of Giberson labeled AFO-515, and social media groups attempted to identify him by using the hashtag #DragThemOut.
The FBI matched its images to those on Instagram and Princeton’s website. In an interview at the Princeton Police Department, Giberson confirmed he was the person in the videos and photos.
Following his arrest, Burnham released a statement that said, “We cannot comment on the truth or falsity of the specific allegations in the complaint while the case remains pending other than to note that even the government agrees Mr. Giberson has been cooperative throughout the investigation. We ask all interested parties to respect the presumption of innocence and withhold judgment until the Court process is complete.”