A husband and wife from Regent Square have pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to igniting smoke bombs and fireworks during an April 18, 2023 protest outside a transgender-rights debate at O’Hara Student Center, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Pittsburgh
Krystal DiPippa, 42, pleaded guilty to one count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and her husband Brian DiPippa, 37, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder. U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan scheduled sentencing for Jan. 6, 2025. The law provides for a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office press release said Brian DiPippa ignited and dropped two homemade smoke bomb containers in and around a line of people waiting to enter O’Hara for a scheduled event featuring Daily Wire host Michael Knowles and libertarian journalist Brad Polumbo debating "Should transgenderism be regulated by law?"
When Pitt Police officers formed a barrier to prevent protesters from entering the rear of the building, Brian DiPippa, concealed by his wife, Krystal, ignited and threw a large explosive firework into the group of officers, causing a loud explosion and injuries to several officers.
More than 150 people were protesting outside the center when the loud incendiary device was set off.
The protest prompted Pitt Police to send out alerts to warn people to stay away from the area. Several buildings were closed before police cleared the scene.
Although many students were at the protest, then-Chancellor Patrick Gallagher said shortly after the incident that he didn’t believe everyone involved was affiliated with Pitt. He condemned the actions of some demonstrators who he said abused their free-speech privileges. “Let me just be unambiguous: That is an absolutely unacceptable outcome that we saw here.”
“The United States Attorney’s Office is dedicated to prosecuting individuals who physically attack our law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney Eric Olshan said in a statement on Sept. 10. “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 FBI and our Joint Terrorism Task Force partners want to make it clear: we will not allow the rights protected by the First Amendment to be exploited as cover for individuals to carry out violent attacks on law enforcement,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “Peaceful protest is a right afforded to everyone under the Constitution, but not when used as a guise for injuring, maiming, and leaving lasting impacts to victims by launching explosives.”
Brian DiPippa will remain in custody, where he’s been since his June 30, 2023, arrest, pending sentencing.
The FBI and its Joint Terrorism Task Force, of which the Pitt Police is a member; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution in this case.
— Susan Jones
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