A federal judge on Monday sentenced a Pittsburgh man to five years in prison and his wife to three years of probation over their involvement in detonating an explosive that injured police officers at a 2023 campus protest over transgender rights at the University of Pittsburgh.
The man, Brian DiPippa, 37, “ignited and dropped two homemade smoke bomb containers in and around a line of people waiting to enter a building for a scheduled event featuring guest speakers,” the Justice Department said in a news release on Monday.
Afterward, Mr. DiPippa’s wife, Krystal DiPippa, 42, “concealed” him as he “ignited and threw a large explosive firework” into a group of university police officers who had gathered to form a barrier to prevent protesters from entering the rear of the building. The firework caused a loud explosion and injuries to several officers, the department said.
The couple had “conspired to injure law enforcement officers and cause chaos at a college campus protest” Eric G. Olshan, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, said in the news release.
A campus police sergeant told the court that she was knocked down when a device exploded as she tried to bat it away, resulting in leg burns, hearing loss and back injuries that required surgery, The Associated Press reported.
“They attacked brave men and women who were trying to maintain order and protect the attendees,” Mr. Olshan said, adding that the Monday’s sentencing “should serve as a deterrent for anyone who would consider engaging in such outrageous and dangerous conduct in the future.”
Michael J. DeRiso, a lawyer for Mr. DiPippa, said on Tuesday that it was “unfortunate that the government has chosen to define my client by one act.”
“Unfortunately, my client made a really piss-poor decision by throwing a firework into a crowd,” he said, adding that Mr. DiPippa “certainly had no desire to hurt or maim.” Michael Ovens, a lawyer for Ms. DiPippa, declined to comment on the case.
The couple, who are from Pittsburgh, each pleaded guilty in September to one count of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, according to the Justice Department, and Mr. DiPippa also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy.
At Monday’s sentencing in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, the couple were also ordered to pay $1,400 in restitution to the university as well as $47,284 to the injured officer, the Justice Department said.
More than 150 people were at the protest, which was held on April 18, 2023, outside of a transgender-rights debate between Michael Knowles, a host at The Daily Wire, a right-leaning site, and Brad Polumbo, a libertarian journalist, at the O’Hara Student Center, The University Times, a university publication, reported.
Jared Stonesifer, a spokesperson for the University of Pittsburgh, said in a statement on Tuesday that it “supports the right to peaceful demonstrations but will not tolerate threats or acts of violence that put others in harm’s way.”
He added that the decision “cannot undo the physical and emotional injuries that our officers sustained.”
