Criminal proceedings in the January 6 United States Capitol attack
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to overturn his November 2020 election loss to Joe Biden by attacking the U.S. Capitol Building, which disrupted the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes to formalize Joe Biden's victory. By the end of the month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened more than 400 case files and issued more than 500 subpoenas and search warrants related to the riot. The FBI also created a website to solicit tips from the public specifically related to the riot and were especially assisted by the crowdsourced sleuthing group Sedition Hunters. By the end of 2021, 725 people had been charged with federal crimes. Two years after the attack, that number had risen to 1,000. The majority of cases are federal, and are handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (D.C.). A minority of cases are state cases, and are handled in the D.C. Superior Court. On January7, 2021, Michael R. Sherwin, the interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said rioters could be charged with seditious conspiracy or insurrection. Early on, the majority of charges filed were for disorderly conduct and unlawful