Daily Archives: February 2, 2021

A Houston police officer and a self-proclaimed Proud Boy were two of the Texans who have been arrested by the FBI for their alleged involvement in the deadly Capitol riots last month.

After Monday, 21 Texans have been arrested in connection with the events on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C., and are facing a variety of charges.

EXPRESS-NEWS APP: Breaking news, Spurs scores, COVID updates and more at your fingertips

Daniel Goodwyn, from Cornith, is a self-proclaimed Proud Boy who was seen at the Capitol in a livestream video, according to court documents.

A self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys from Cornith was arrested on Jan. 29 after appearing on another suspect's livestream video, according to a criminal complaint

Officials said Goodwyn can be seen and is called by name in a video taken by Anthime Joseph Gionet, also known as "Baked Alaska." Gionet has also been arrested on charges stemming from the Capitol riots. Goodwyn was escorted out of the Capitol, calling the officer who escorted him out an oathbreaker and yelled for rioters to take the officers badge number as he left, the criminal complaint said.

On Instagram, Goodwyn said he was inside the Capitol but only stayed for a few minutes and didn't break anything.

Charges: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority;violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Nolan Cooke, from Savoy, was arrested after allegedly helping break through the Capitol police gates, according to court documents.

The 22-year-old man from Savoy was arrested on Jan. 21 after three people informed the FBI about Snapchat photos that showed Cooke "helped lead the charge of rioters breaking through the police gates," officials said.

Cooke recorded the incident on a GoPro around his neck before posting video to Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, an arrest affidavit said. He also posted photos of himself and an unnamed girlfriend with the caption I wouldnt want anyone other than you with me to take on the revolution," the affidavit said.

He told officials that he went to the Capitol because he wanted to be heard, according to the affidavit.

Charges: Acts during civil disorder; entering/remaining on restricted buildings or grounds and disorderly/ disruptive conduct in or near restricted buildings or grounds; unlawful activities on Capitol grounds

Tam Dinh Pham, a Houston police officer, was arrested after telling officials he just went into the Capitol to "see history," according to court documents.

Pham, a Houston police officer, was arrested on Jan. 20 after telling FBI agents that he only went into the Capitol to "see history," not to vandalize or be violent, according to a statement of facts.

The 18-year veteran initially told officials that he went to Washington D.C. for business reasons. When officials asked to look through his phone, they found deleted photos and videos of him inside the Capitol, the court documents said.

He told officials he only looked at the art in the Capitol, took some photographs and left after 15 minutes, according to the court documents.

Charges: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority;violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Joshua Loller, of Spring, was arrested after video footage showed him clashing with Capitol police, court documents said.

The Spring man was arrested on Jan. 15 after a tipster showed police photos and video from Loller's Facebook account of him inside the Capitol confronting Metropolitan police officers, a statement of facts said.

An officer's body camera footage also shows Loller on the front lines fighting with police to enter the Capitol, according to the court documents.

Charges: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds; obstructing or impeding law enforcement officer during civil disorder and obstructing federally protected functions

Kissing Tree Vineyards owner and Bruceville-Eddy resident Christopher Grider was arrested after admitting on TV that he was in the Capitol near where a woman was shot and killed, according to an arrest affidavit.

The Bruceville-Eddy man and owner of Kissing Tree Vineyards was arrested Jan. 21 in Austin after telling a Waco TV station that he was in the Capitol during the riots. He told reporters that he was within feet of Ashli Babbitt, the woman was who killed by Capitol police outside the House chambers, an arrest affidavit said. During his TV interview, Grider said "The president asked people to come and show their support. I feel like it's the least we can do, it's kind of why I came from central Texas all the way to D.C."

Officials also believe Grider handed a man a black helmet that was then used to break the glass doors of the Capitol in which Babbitt eventually attempted to jump through. Video footage shows Grider trying to push and kick the doors open, the affidavit said.

He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and taken to Washington D.C. for arraignment.

Charges: Government property or contracts; knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Chance Uptmore, circled in red, and his father James "Sonny" Uptmore, in the blue mask in front, were arrested by the FBI after photos emerged of them at the Capitol riots.

The San Antonio father and son were arrested Jan. 26 after a tipster told the FBI about comments and photos on Chance's Facebook page detailing his time inside the Capitol. Chance had posted that the violence was "minimal" and that he was trying to help the police stop other rioters, a criminal complaint said. Images of himinside the Capitol were captured by news coverage of the event.

Chance later admitted to authorities that he and his father James entered the Capitol because they were "caught up in the crowd and it was a once in a lifetime event," according to court documents.

Charges:Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and impeding or disrupting official functions; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Daniel Phipps, a Dallas-area man, was arrested after posting to Facebook photos of himself in the Capitol.

The Dallas-area man was arrested Jan. 26 after a witness told Fort Worth police about a photo Phipps posted on Facebook inside the Capitol with an American flag draped over his shoulder, a criminal complaint said. Under the photo, Phipps wrote a comment that he was in Washington, D.C., and "helped take the Hill."

Charges: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and impeding or disrupting official functions; violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Nicholas DeCarlo, from Burelson, was arrested by the FBI after photos emerged of him inside the Capitol wearing a "Murder the Media" shirt.

The 30-year-old Burleson man was arrested on Jan. 26 after he gave an interview to the Los Angeles Times on Jan. 13 in which he admitted to being in the Capitol with another man named Nicholas Ochs, who has also been arrested by the FBI, a statement of facts said. DeCarlo said the two men were working as journalists but neither are listed as a credentialed reporter with the House or Senate Periodical Press Gallery. In a photo from Jan. 6, DeCarlo is wearing a shirt that says "Murder the Media," standing next to the same message etched into a Capitol wall, court documents said.

According to court documents, photos were posted to Twitter that showed him smoking in the Capitol with Ochs. Additional videos were posted on Twitter of Ochs and Decarlo speaking about how they were able to "stop the steal" by storming the Capitol, the FBI said.

Charges: Obstructing or impeding any official proceeding; knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; parading or demonstrating on Capitol grounds

Garret Miller, a Dallas-area man, was arrested after surveillance footage showed him storming the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Miller was arrested Jan. 20 after surveillance footage purportedly shows the Dallas-area man was part of the group that first stormed the U.S. Capitol, a statement of facts said. Miller also detailed his activities inside the building on social media, including a video posted to his public Twitter account and photos on Facebook with "just wanted to incriminate myself a little lol" as a caption, according to officials.

Miller also made threats on Twitter, saying it was "hunting season" and called for the assassination of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, officials said. He also threatened the officer who fatally shot a rioter inside the Capitol, saying supporters should "hug his neck with a nice rope," according to officials.

CHARGES: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; obstructing or impeding any official proceeding; certain acts during lawful civil disorder

Video of Matthew Mazzocco, a San Antonio resident, appeared in videos of him at the Capitol riot, according to court documents.

The 37-year-old San Antonio man was arrested Jan. 17 after purported videos of him at the Capitol appeared on TikTok.

Multiple tipsters led officials to Mazzocco after he posted photos from the Capitol on Facebook, including in a group for a youth sports league. Twitter users also tagged the San Antonio FBI account with videos of Mazzocco inside the Capitol, where he was "telling others not to take or destroy anything, and that they were probably going to get in trouble for what they were doing," a statement of facts said.

CHARGES: Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Larry Rendall Brock, of Grapevine, was spotted by his ex-wife in photos that emerged from the riots, who then notified the FBI, a statement of facts said.

The Grapevine man was arrested Jan. 10 after his ex-wife called the FBI to say she recognized him in a photo inside the Capitol building wearing a patch and pilot wings from his military service.

A YouTube video showed a man resembling Brock's driver's license photo walking out of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office wearing a military-style helmet, body armor and holding flex-cuffs, according to the criminal complaint.

CHARGES: Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Jenny Louise Cudd and Eliel Rosa, of Texas, posted a livestream on Facebook of them storming the Capitol, the FBI said in a statement of facts.

Cudd and Rosa were arrested Jan. 12.

Officials said the two were seen on surveillance footage entering the Capitol and taking photos of the rotunda before walking around outside the upper House doors. Cudd streamed a live video and Rosa posted pictures on Facebook from inside the Capitol, the FBI said. Cudd also participated in an interview with a Texas TV station in which she described what happened, saying we the Patriots did storm the U.S. Capitol," documents said. Later, when questioned, the FBI said Rosa admitted to entering the Capitol.

CHARGES: Entering a restricted building or grounds; violent entry or disorderly conduct

Gionet, known as "Baked Alaska" on social media, was arrested in Houston on Jan. 15 after livestreaming his time inside the Capitol.

Gionet livestreamed for 27 minutes and posted on social media sites DLive, YouTube and Twitter, documents show.

CHARGES: Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Daniel Page Adams (right) of Texas and his cousin Cody Connell posted photos to Facebook, including the above photo, of them inside the Capitol, the FBI said in a statement of facts.

Adams was arrested Jan. 16 in East Texas after posting about the riot on Facebook, the FBI said.

Adams and his cousin Cody Page Carter Connell posted video on social media showing them pushing toward a line of Capital police officers and Adams "physically engaging with officers," documents show. Adams was clubbed and shot with rubber bullets, the FBI said.

CHARGES: Assaulting a federal officer; obstructing law enforcement engaged in official duties; incident to civil disorder; knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Alex Kirk Harkrider (rights) and Ryan Nichols posted photos and videos of themselves in front of smashed windows of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office, a criminal complaint said.

Harkrider, 30, of Converse and Nichols, 32, of Longview were identified by friends on Facebook.

Witnesses shared photos and videos from Nichols' Facebook page and Snapchat account that showed the two inside the Capitol. One photo depicts them standing in front of smashed windows at Pelosi's office, a criminal complaint said.

Nichols was carrying a can of pepper spray and a crowbar while Harkrider carried a baton, the FBI said. Nichols also pepper-sprayed law enforcement, according to the FBI.

They were arrested Jan. 18 in East Texas.

CHARGES: Conspiracy and unlawful entry with a dangerous weapon; violent entry or disorderly conduct; assaulting a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon; aiding and abetting

Guy Wesley Reffitt of Wylie, was caught on video from several news stations attempting to flush his eyes after getting pepper sprayed by police, a FBI affidavit said.

Video from Reuters and Fox News show the Wylie resident being pepper sprayed by police.

According to an arrest affidavit, Reffitt's son told officials he took his gun to the Capitol to "protect the country." His son also told officials that Reffitt said he "would have no option but to do what he had to do" and threatened to shoot his family if they turned him into the authorities, the FBI said.

He was arrested Jan. 18.

CHARGES: Entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; violent entry or disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; obstruction of justice

Smocks posted on the social media platform Parler that he would be at the Capitol and planned on returning Jan. 19 with far-right groups that would "come in numbers that no standing army or police agency can match," FBI documents show.

According to the FBI, Smocks also told his social media followers they needed to "hunt theses cowards down like the traitors that each of them are." He also said to target certain groups, including democrats.

He was arrested Jan. 15.

CHARGES: Threats in interstate commerce

Jenna Ryan, a Frisco realtor was arrested after livestreaming herself inside the Capitol during the riots.

The Frisco real estate agent, who took a private plane to Washington, D.C., was arrested Jan. 15 after livestreaming herself at the Capitol calling it the "best day of her life," the FBI said.

One video posted before the riots, Ryan is talking to a bathroom mirror saying "We're going to go down and storm the Capitol. They're down there right now and that's why we came and so that's what we are going to do. So wish me luck," a statement of facts said. Later, as she was inside the Capitol, she said "Y'all know who to hire for your realtor, Jenna Ryan for your realtor," the court documents said.

After her arrest, she asked Trump to pardon her, CBS11 reported. She told the news station "I dont feel a sense of shame or guilty from my heart. I feel like I was basically following my president."

CHARGES: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Taylor Pettaway is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for ExpressNews.com | taylor.pettaway@express-news.net | @TaylorPettaway

Read the original here:

Self -proclaimed Proud Boy member one of 21 Texans facing charges in connection with Capitol riot - San Antonio Express-News

Two members of the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group, have been charged with conspiracy for their involvement in the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6.

On Friday night, federal prosecutors announced the charges against Dominic Pezzola, 43, of Rochester, New York, and William Pepe, 31, of Beacon, New York, saying they engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct, influence, impede, and interfere with law enforcement officers engaged in their official duties in protecting the U.S. Capitol and its grounds on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pezzola and Pepe are not the first members of an organized far-right group to face conspiracy charges. Three members of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing militia group, have also been charged for their participation in the attempted insurrection.

The two Proud Boys had previously faced other, lesser charges; at least four other members of their group face lesser charges as well, including obstructing a congressional proceeding. More than 170 other people have also faced lesser charges, such as for unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, for their part in the bloody incident, which left five people dead and more than 140 police officers injured. At least two police officers who were present during the siege have since died by suicide.

According to a Justice Department press release announcing the charges, Pezzola and Pepe allegedly seized protective equipment from police, including the short metal barricades erected around the grounds of the Capitol. Video from the day shows rioters ripping down that fencing, overwhelming Capitol Police officers. Other video shows some police officers moving barricades themselves.

Pezzola and Pepe are also accused of the stealing and purloining of property belonging to Capitol Police. Specifically, Pezzola is accused of stealing a riot shield from a Capitol Police officer and later using it to smash a window of the Capitol building; the release notes he is apparently depicted doing so in video and photos from the day.

Pepe was arrested on January 12, and Pezzola was arrested on January 15. According to the DOJ press release, both have also been charged with civil disorder; unlawfully entering restricted buildings or grounds; and disorderly and disruptive conduct in restricted buildings or grounds.

Additionally, Pezzola was charged with obstruction of an official proceeding; additional counts of civil disorder and aiding and abetting civil disorder; robbery of personal property of the United States; assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers; destruction of government property; and engaging in physical violence in a restricted buildings or grounds.

These charges stem from his alleged theft and misuse of the riot shield. Pezzola was also allegedly part of the mob of mainly white men who were led on a chase by Eugene Goodman, a Black Capitol Police officer, who sought to keep the insurrectionists away from lawmakers. The pursuit was captured on video, and led to praise and a position of honor at Bidens inauguration for Goodman.

Two Montana brothers who also allegedly chased Goodman were charged Friday with nine counts, including destruction of property, related to their role in the siege.

According to the New York Times, Pezzola is a former US Marine, and Pepe worked for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Both were affiliated with the Proud Boys, which promotes Western culture as a front for racist, xenophobic, and anti-Semitic ideologies.

The group openly and enthusiastically backed former President Donald Trump throughout his term in office, and Trump declined to condemn them and other white supremacist organizations during a debate with now-President Joe Biden in October.

Instead, Trump encouraged the group to stand back and stand by. That phrase was taken up as encouragement, and almost immediately landed on official merchandise for the group.

In the weeks and months after Trump lost his reelection bid, Proud Boys have been a recurring presence at so-called Stop the Steal protests, which falsely claimed that the national election had been stolen by the Biden camp. Some of these protests turned violent, with multiple people stabbed in Washington, DC, and one person shot in Washington state during rallies in early December that also featured Proud Boys assaulting counterprotesters and passersby, as well as desecrating Black churches.

According to the Times, Pezzola is being represented by attorney Michael Scibetta, who said Friday night that he has not been able to see his client or the federal charging papers.

Less than a week after the insurrection, federal law enforcement officials promised that arrests would continue, and that initial charges then limited to things like theft of public property and violent entry were only the beginning.

Indicting members of hate groups on federal conspiracy charges as opposed to the more easily proven unlawful entry and disorderly conduct charges represents a push by the DOJ to keep that promise, and to prove the insurrectionists collaborated in efforts to break the law.

Generally speaking, federal conspiracy charges can carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison, although this sentence can be compounded by other offenses.

Notably, two people do not need to know one anothers identity in order to have conspired together so even participants in an online forum, on which real names are not exchanged, can be charged as co-conspirators. Moreover, the specific role each conspirator was meant to play does not need to be proven, only that a particular federal crime was planned and then occurred.

One question in proving a conspiracy case is likely to be to what extent the January 6 riots were planned in advance.

According to the New York Times, federal investigators have found evidence in Pezzolas home suggesting he had been studying homemade explosives. There is less public evidence against Pepe, and Pepes attorney, Susanne Brody, declined comment about the case against Pepe to the Times and CNN.

But there is evidence to support the argument that there was advance planning for the action at the Capitol. As Rebecca Heilweil and Shirin Ghaffary of Recode have reported, online extremists began organizing for offline action almost immediately after the November 3 presidential election.

On both mainstream social media and the smaller platforms favored by far-right extremists, members of the mob planned their trips to Washington well in advance of the violence that eventually unfolded. And those same services hosted livestreams and videos of the insurrection; Pezzola, for example, filmed himself smoking a victory cigar from inside the Capitol.

It will ultimately be up to federal investigators and the judicial system to determine whether online chatter or even in-person actions on the day of the riot will translate to convictions on conspiracy charges. According to court documents reported by the Washington Post, Assistant US Attorney Erik Kenerson described Pezzolas actions as showing planning, determination, and coordination.

So far, three other people have also been charged with federal conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riots. On Wednesday, the DOJ announced that charges had been brought against Jessica Marie Watkins and Donovan Ray Crowl, both of Champaign County, Ohio; and Thomas Caldwell of Clarke County, Virginia, for conspiracy, obstructing an official proceeding, destruction of government property, and unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds.

All three are affiliated with Oath Keepers, an anti-government paramilitary organization founded shortly after the election of President Barack Obama. According to the New York Times, at least 10 other people bearing insignias of that far-right group were spotted during the riots.

Watkins and Crowl are also members of an Ohio-based militia, according to the DOJ press release. The three indicted Oath Keepers are alleged to have communicated with one another both before and during the attack on the Capitol. They face up to 20 years in prison.

Support Vox's explanatory journalism

Every day at Vox, we aim to answer your most important questions and provide you, and our audience around the world, with information that empowers you through understanding. Voxs work is reaching more people than ever, but our distinctive brand of explanatory journalism takes resources. Your financial contribution will not constitute a donation, but it will enable our staff to continue to offer free articles, videos, and podcasts to all who need them. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today, from as little as $3.

Originally posted here:

Two Proud Boys face conspiracy charges over the US Capitol riot - Vox.com

The FBI has found hundreds of files of detailed instructions on how to make guns, poisons, and bombs in the home of a man arrested for participating in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Dominic Pezzola a member of the Proud Boys, an extremist pro-Trump group was caught in pictures and videos smashing in a window of the Capitol building with a police shield, allowing rioters to get in, the FBI found. In a memo arguing that Pezzola should be jailed ahead of his trial, the government also accuses him of overtaking a line of police in riot gear and being in the group of people who chased Officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs near the Senate chamber.

The memo details an interview with a witness, who told the FBI that Pezzola, known online as Spaz, was part of a group of people who stormed the Capitol, all of whom had firearms or access to firearms and had said that they planned to kill every single 'm-fer' they can.

The witness also said that Pezzola and his group would have killed Mike Pence if given the chance.

After the insurrection, Pezzola at first tried to flee, the memo states, turning off his phone, shaving his wild beard, and leaving his home in the Rochester, New York, area. After the FBI began knocking on the doors of family members, he turned himself in. Then, the FBI conducted a search of his house.

The memo states that the FBI found a thumb drive in a room that appeared to be used exclusively by the defendant containing hundreds of files with these and similar titles: Advanced Improvised Explosives, Explosive Dusts, Incendiaries, The Box Tube MAC-11: The Ultimate DIY Machine Pistol, Ragnars Big Book of Homemade Weapons, and The Advanced Anarchists Arsenal: Recipes for Improvised Incendiaries and Explosives.

Pezzola poses both a serious danger to the community and a serious risk of flight, the memo states. The circumstances of the offenses charged in this case overwhelmingly support detention. The seriousness of the offenses with which the defendant is charged cannot be overstated.

He was arrested in New York and is currently being held as he awaits a hearing. A judge will determine whether to continue his detention as the case moves through the courts. He is currently charged with destroying government property, obstructing an official proceeding (the congressional vote to validate Joe Bidens presidential win), and entering the Capitol.

The memo and an affidavit submitted by an FBI agent track Pezzolas progress up to and inside of the Capitol through a series of videos and images posted to Parler and other social media platforms. The images appear to show him wrestling with a line of police and grabbing one of their shields before climbing up to a window of the Capitol and smashing his way in, along with others around him. Once inside, the files state, he and members of the group he was with attempted to pressure a police officer into telling them where members of Congress were. The videos and pictures appear to show him with an earpiece, a device others who stormed the Capitol have been pictured wearing as well. The videos also show him smoking a cigar near the Senate chamber, saying, I knew we could take this motherfucker over [if we] just tried hard enough.

In some of the social media posts the FBI attributed to Pezzola, he identifies as a member of the Proud Boys, who had a heavy presence at the Jan. 6 riot, as well as a veteran of the Marines. A tattoo on his right arm signifies the Infantry Assault Marine military occupational specialty, according to the Daily Beast.

His next hearing, on whether to keep him in detention, will be on Feb. 1.

Read more:

One Of The Proud Boys Who Stormed The Capitol Had Instructions For Making Guns And Bombs In His Home, FBI Says - BuzzFeed News