Peter Moloney, ex-owner of Long Island funeral home chain, pleads guilty to assault charges during U.S. Capitol breach

A former co-owner of Moloney Family Funeral Homes pleaded guilty Thursday to a pair of assault charges related to his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced.

Peter Moloney, 60, of Bayport, admitted to assaulting police officers and two other individuals he believed were members of the news media as part of his plea agreement, prosecutors said. He pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting and impeding certain officers and a misdemeanor charge of assault by striking, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney Philip Branigan, of Holbrook, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Court records show Moloney traveled from his Long Island home to attend the "Stop the Steal Rally" in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021. He brought with him hard-knuckled gloves, protective eyewear, a helmet and a can of Black Flag Wasp, Hornet, & Yellow Jacket Killer, prosecutors said.

After the rally, Moloney, wearing his protective gear, was part of the first group to enter the restricted area outside the U.S. Capitol, court records show. Prosecutors say he aimed the can and sprayed it at U.S. Capitol Police Officers on the West Plaza "causing the spray to make contact with the officer’s hands, arms, bodies, and heads."

Moloney also approached a man he believed to be a member of the media and yanked a camera from the person’s hands, damaging the camera and causing them to stumble on a flight of stairs, prosecutors said.

As part of his plea agreement, Moloney will pay restitution for repairs to the camera and to the Architect of the Capitol for damage caused to the building that day, prosecutors said.

Moloney is the second Long Island resident in the past month to plead guilty to his role in the riots at the Capitol. Matthew Schmitz, 34, of Lindenhurst, an admitted member of the Long Island Chapter of the Proud Boys, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds on Sept. 24.

Moloney’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 11.

At the time of his arrest, Moloney was a co-owner of the Moloney Funeral Homes. He has since sold his ownership interest to another family member, the company previously announced. Moloney also served on the Brookhaven Town Local Development Corp. and the board of Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, Newsday has reported.

In the more than three years after Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,500 people were charged in nearly all 50 states and the District of Columbia for crimes related to the breach on the Capitol, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.