The first tip identifying Ellijay resident William Gallagher as among the hundreds of rioters to break into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, came just 10 days after the riot via an anonymous call to the FBI.
But it would take authorities more than three years to charge Gallagher and his two adult sons, James and Thomas Gallagher, with crimes related to their alleged conduct that day.
All three Gallaghers were formally charged Monday in federal court in Gainesville and released on bond.
William Gallagher, 55, was charged with civil disorder, a felony. He also was charged with four misdemeanors related to alleged trespassing in a restricted area.
According to federal investigators, the elder Gallagher was among the crowd who entered the Capitol by forcing open the Rotunda doors. When Capitol police attempted to close the doors to additional rioters, investigators allege that Gallagher was among the crowd inside who tried to prevent them. According to court records, Gallagher grabbed a police officer and pulled him away from the doors and forced him out of the entryway.
“As a result, the Rotunda Doors were breached yet again, allowing rioters to stream into the U.S. Capitol building,” investigators wrote in a statement of their case.
Investigators allege that William’s sons, 22-year-old James and 25-year-old Thomas, were among the rioters who streamed through those doors after the second breach. James and Thomas Gallagher were each charged Monday with the same four misdemeanors leveled against their father, but they were not charged with any felonies.
According to investigators, once the three men met up inside the Capitol, they moved to the front of another police line until a “scuffle” broke out and police set off tear gas. Eventually, the trio were among a mass of rioters ushered out by police. Investigators say William Gallagher was inside the Capitol for about 46 minutes, while his sons were inside for around 27 minutes.
While it took more than three years to charge the Gallaghers, FBI agents, acting on a tip, spoke to William Gallagher on Jan. 26, 2021, at his Ellijay home. According to the FBI report, Gallagher greeted the agents by saying, “I’ve been waiting for you guys.”
The interrogation didn’t last long, concluding when Gallagher said he wanted an attorney.
Investigators wrote that, in an FBI interview earlier this year, an employee of the Gallaghers’ gated community positively identified the three men from photos taken from security camera footage during the Jan. 6 riot.
So far, 36 people with Georgia ties have been charged in the long-running investigation into the Capitol riot.
About the Author
