A husband and wife accused of setting off smoke bombs and throwing an explosive firework at a group of police officers at a transgender rights protest at the University of Pittsburgh last year pleaded guilty on Tuesday in federal court.
Brian and Krystal DiPippa pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge J. Nicholas Ranjan.
They will be sentenced on Jan. 6.
Brian DiPippa, 37, has been held in custody since his subsequent arrest.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Shaun Sweeney, the Intercollegiate Studies Institute hosted a debate, “Should transgenderism be regulated by law?” on April 18, 2023, at the O’Hara Student Center at Pitt.
It featured Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles and libertarian journalist Brad Polumbo and was hosted by Pitt College Republicans.
The event was slated to start at 7:30 p.m., but protesters arrived before that, including the DiPippas, who got to the area around 6 p.m. They wore knit caps and medical masks, Sweeney said.
As the event attendees lined up on the sidewalk outside, Brian DiPippa rolled a homemade smoke device in a glass jar near the line, causing them to disperse, the government said.
About 13 minutes later, Sweeney said, he rolled another smoke bomb in that direction.
”DiPippa and several other protesters then began to grab and shake the bicycle rack barriers which separated the protesters from the attendees,” the prosecutor said.
Officers brandished batons to back the protesters up, and one officer struck a protester’s hand to force them to back up, Sweeney said.
About 7:30 p.m., he continued, about two dozen protesters moved to the back of the student center, and about 12 Pitt police officers followed them. It was then, Sweeney said, that Krystal DiPippa, who was wearing a long winter coat, served as a barrier for her husband as he ignited a large firework.
“Brian then stood and tossed it into the group of police officers who were protecting the building,” Sweeney said.
It exploded, injuring several officers.
One officer sustained hearing loss and another had minor burns, Sweeney said. A third officer injured her back running away from the explosion.
Sweeney told the court that the DiPippas’ actions were captured on surveillance cameras at the student center, as well as a Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus and other locations in Oakland.
Some of that footage, he said, captured the DiPippa couple riding away from the scene on a motorcycle, no longer wearing their masks.
In a search at the couple’s home, investigators found the motorcycle, Brian DiPippa’s helmet and Krystal DiPippa’s coat, Sweeney said.
They were indicted on charges of conspiracy and obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder in June 2023.
Brian DiPippa faced an additional charge of using an explosive to commit a federal felony.
