SCRANTON, Pa. — A Lackawanna County man accused of taking part in the riot at the U.S. Capitol has entered a guilty plea.
Frank Scavo of Old Forge pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a single misdemeanor charge for participating in the events in Washington DC on January 6.
On January 7, Scavo sat down with Newswatch 16 to describe the bus trip he planned the day before, bringing local Trump supporters to the U.S. Capitol. He said then that he was a block away from the Capitol when the violent insurrection began. Pictures later proved otherwise.
Now Scavo has admitted to being inside the Capitol. He entered a guilty plea in front of a federal judge from Washington.
"He regrets it, very much, that he got caught up into that. And now he's paying a very heavy price for it," said Scavo's attorney Ernie Preate.
Preate spoke with us shortly after they wrapped up the virtual hearing in Scranton. Scavo's plea deal with federal prosecutors means all but one of the charges against him were dropped. Scavo pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge called "parading, demonstrating, and picketing in the Capitol."
Preate says Scavo expressed his regret to the judge.
"He made an unlawful entry into the Capitol, and two minutes after he was in there, he realized he did something bad, so he spent the next six to eight minutes trying to get out, to his credit. But you still can't do it. You can't just enter a federal building that's protected, particularly the United States Capitol."
Scavo will be sentenced in a few months. Preate says he'll argue against any prison time, but Scavo could be sent to federal prison for up to six months.