Former Washington County couple sentenced for role in Capitol attack
The former Washington County couple who entered the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 assault on Congress and stole government-issued gas masks were sentenced in federal court last week, although only one of them will serve prison time.
Philip “Flip” Vogel II and Debra J. Maimone appeared through video conferencing Friday morning before U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington, D.C., and were each given lighter sentences than what federal prosecutors had requested.
Moss sentenced Vogel to serve 30 days in prison followed by one year on supervised release while he ordered Maimone to spend two years on probation, along with them paying $1,806 in restitution.
Both pleaded guilty before Moss in June to one misdemeanor count of theft of U.S. property less than $1,000. Prosecutors had originally asked for Vogel to serve five months in prison and Maimone at least three months in prison as part of the plea bargain.
Vogel, 35, grew up in Houston, Pa., while Maimone, 30, spent parts of her childhood in the Burgettstown area, according to court documents.
According to court documents, the couple went to Washington, D.C., to attend Donald Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House, and then marched with the mob to the Capitol when they heard the former president tell the crowd that he would be going there with them in an attempt to overturn Joe Biden’s election victory. They followed people into the Capitol building and at one point entered the upstairs Senate gallery.
Federal prosecutors said Vogel and Maimone stole police-issued gas masks and then took an “escape hood” respirator meant for legislators that the couple found in the gallery after senators had been evacuated from the floor.
“They took (personal protection equipment) from the Capitol in part because there was gas everywhere inside and outside of the Capitol building, and others were also taking the PPE and offering it to them. However, Vogel and Maimone did not use the gas masks or escape hoods while they were at the Capitol. Instead, Vogel and Maimone took the PPE back to their home in Pennsylvania,” prosecutors wrote in their pre-sentencing memorandum, adding that the couple disposed of the masks before their arrest in March 2021.
The couple also posted a video on social media while inside the crypt area of the Capitol – one of which showed Maimone’s face – and she commented the following day on her “Parler” account about their experience.
“I’m saying I was at the government building FULL OF TYRANTS and I WATCHED A TON of patriots that were fed up with being shot at flash banged and gassed for trying to peacefully protest!” the post read. “AND THEY TOOK THE CAPITAL THAT IS THE HOME OF THE PEOPLE AND PAYED (sic) FOR BY THE PEOPLE!”
In their request for leniency, attorneys for Vogel and Maimone alluded to their difficult upbringings and how neither graduated high school. Maimone’s public defender also noted how the couple’s cleaning and remodeling business was hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic and then was dealt a “final blow” after their arrest when numerous people posted negative reviews on the internet about the company.
Both defendants also issued written statements to Moss in which they apologized for their roles in the Jan. 6 attack.
Vogel said he “let my feelings and irrational political views at the time get the best of me that day” and hoped that his theft of the gas masks did not cause injuries to anyone who may have needed them at the Capitol.
“I have had a long time to ponder the consequences that my actions have caused others,” Vogel wrote in his letter. “The thought of an officer or first responder or even an employee that may have needed that (personal protective equipment) gear and had to go without because I decided to take it, truly sickens me. This unfortunately did not cross my mind in the midst of the chaos that day.”
Maimone wrote in her letter that the attack on the Capitol was “a disgrace to our country and that day shouldn’t have ever happened.”
“I don’t blame anyone but myself for my actions on that day,” Maimone wrote. “I realize I put officers at risk by taking those gas masks and for that I am very sorry. … It was horrible on my part and I just followed the mob thinking it was ok. It was not ok.”
The couple was living in New Castle when they were charged, although it’s not known if they still reside there. It’s unclear when Vogel will begin serving his prison sentence or where he will be incarcerated.