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Two Pittsburgh residents have pleaded guilty in federal court to obstructing law enforcement during an April 2023 protest on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
Charges against the husband and wife — Brian DiPippa, 37, and Krystal DiPippa, 42 — were first filed in June 2023.
Prosecutors with the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania alleged that, during the protest of an event hosted by the Pitt chapter of College Republicans, the DiPippas ignited and dropped two homemade smoke bombs in and around a line of people waiting to enter a building for the event. In addition, the couple was accused of igniting and throwing a large explosive firework into a group of police officers who had formed a barrier to prevent protesters from entering the rear of the building.
“The United States Attorney’s Office is dedicated to prosecuting individuals who physically attack our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan, in a statement released Tuesday. “The DiPippas went to this event not for the purpose of having their voices heard in a protest, but instead for the purpose of using this protest as a means of cover so that they could disrupt the protest and conceal themselves in a crowd while carrying out a cowardly attack on police officers.”
The April 18 protest was sparked by two conservative speakers invited by Pitt’s College Republicans to debate government restrictions on transgender people. Among the two speakers was conservative podcast host and commentator Michael Knowles, who is known for expressing anti-transgender ideas.
For more than four hours during the demonstration, hundreds of students and community members shut down streets around the student center.
The DiPippas each pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder with Brian DiPippa also pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy. Each count carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing in federal court has been scheduled for Jan. 6, 2025.
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