Anti-government army reservist and suspects charged in US Capitol riot

Suspected members of anti-government militia groups and a U.S. Army reservist with suspected white supremacist beliefs are among the latest suspects indicted in the attack on the U.S. Capitol as prosecutors investigate rioters who used military style tactics. Dozens of suspects now face federal and local charges in the assault of January 6 which left five dead.

A Colorado man affiliated with the radical “Three Percent” militia was charged by federal prosecutors in Washington, DC over the weekend with assaulting a federal officer, obstructing federal proceedings and other charges related to the siege. Federal prosecutors also indicted three other people in Ohio and Indiana who are said to be linked to another anti-government militia, the “Oath Keepers”. The Indiana suspect was part of a group that sprayed a U.S. Capitol police officer with bear spray.

The evidence against the suspects raises more questions about the coordination between the mob that stormed the Capitol, a law enforcement official told investigative correspondent Catherine Herridge. Identifying rioters who used military-style tactics is a top-level priority for a task force of senior DC prosecutors investigate possible charges of sedition, Herridge reported.

The Three Percenters and the Oath Keepers are both part of an extremist movement that has grown since President Barack Obama took office in 2008, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The groups promote the idea that the government is plotting to take away the rights of American citizens and must be fought.

Federal investigators indicted on Saturday a man and woman from Ohio who they said were part of a group of about 8-10 people wearing paramilitary gear and Oath Keepers accessories seen in a video making burst into the Capitol. According to a federal criminal complaint, the group moved “in an organized and practical manner” and made their way past a crowd gathered around a door of the Capitol building.

Jessica Watkins, 38, and Donovan Crowl, 50, of Champaign County, Ohio, face charges including illegal entry into a restricted area, violent entry, disorderly conduct and obstructing proceedings official. Criminal complaint says Watkins identified herself on social media site Speak as “CO [commanding officer] of the Ohio State Regular Militia ”- a subset of dues-paying Oath Observers.

On January 6, the complaint alleges that Watkins posted a video on Speak with the caption: “Yeah. We stormed the Capitol today. Tear gas, all, 9. Pushed our way into the Rotunda. We stormed the Capitol today. have even made it to the Senate. The news is lying (even Fox) about the historic events we created today. “

Watkins also reportedly confirmed she was leading other Oath Keepers during the siege, posting another image on Speak of a man in paramilitary gear with an Oath Keepers patch on his arm. According to the complaint, the caption read: “One of my guys at Stop the Steal Rally today. #Stopthesteal #stormthecapitol #oathkeepers #ohiomilitia.” In another criminal complaint, federal investigators identified the man in the photo as Crowl, who they say is also affiliated with the regular Ohio State Militia.

According to the complaints, Watkins and Crowl then spoke to the media about their encounters with the Capitol Police. In a Jan. 13 interview with the Ohio Capital Journal, Watkins said his group didn’t destroy anything and were respectful with the Capitol Hill Police “until they attacked us. Then we held on. and drew the line. ” According to the complaint, the next day Crowl says he told the New Yorker his intentions were peaceful and “we have protected the Capitol Hill police f ******.”

Another suspect linked to Oath Keepers, Jon Ryan Schaffer of Columbus, Indiana, wore a blue hoodie under a tactical vest with a baseball cap that read “Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,” according to a federal criminal complaint filed on Saturday. He was seen in surveillance photos and videos wearing bear spray and engaging in verbal altercations with Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol building.

Schaffer, identified by tipsters who knew him as the frontman of an Indiana heavy metal band, has long held far-right extremist views, according to the complaint. In a 2017 interview, Schaffer identified himself as an “anarchist”, called the federal government a “criminal enterprise” and claimed that the 2016 presidential election was “rigged.” In another November DC Million MAGA March interview, Schaffer said, “A bunch of thugs and criminals hijacked this country a long time ago. And now they’re taking their big step, and this won’t happen … People need to wake up and get out of the matrix, because they’re breaking down. They’ve taken the step, they’re playing with the wrong people here, trust me on that. “

On Sunday, a man linked to the “Three Percenters” group was also charged. Based on his social media posts, Robert Gieswein, 24, of Woodland Park, Colo., Leads a private paramilitary training group called Woodland Wild Dogs. A federal complaint filed Sunday said Gieswein wore distinctive military gear during the riot – a camouflage shirt under a reinforced military-style vest with a “Woodland Wild Dogs” crest, a military-style helmet marked with orange tape and patches, goggles and a black camo backpack. Gieswein reportedly sprayed an unidentified substance on federal agents outside the Capitol and encouraged other rioters as they smashed a building window. Once he entered through the broken window, according to the complaint, he was seen inside carrying a baseball bat and spray can, his cell phone attached to his jacket and facing outward.

Gieswein was pictured next to another accused suspect on Sunday, Dominic Pezzola, who was seen wearing a ‘Proud Boys’ shirt. According to a witness, Pezzola, who witnesses say is known as “Spaz”, allegedly said rioters killed people, including US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, if they’d had the chance.

Among those charged on Sunday was Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli of Colts Neck, New Jersey, a member of the United States Army Reserve and contractor at the Earle Naval Base, where he maintains a “secret” security clearance and has access to a variety of ammunition. , according to a federal complaint. A confidential source working with an NCIS agent said Hale-Cusanelli admitted he was inside the Capitol during the riot, according to the complaint, and showed the source’s videos of himself doing so. harassing and derogatory statements to officers.

The source told the NCIS agent that Hale-Cusanelli is an avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer who posts videos of extreme political opinion on YouTube. On January 14, the source recorded a conversation in which Hale-Cusanelli admitted to entering the Capitol and encouraging other members of the crowd to “come forward” using both voice and hand signals. He would have said that if they had had more men they could have taken the whole building.

Hale-Cusanelli also allegedly admitted to taking a flag and flag pole which he saw another rioter throw “like a javelin” at a Capitol Police officer, describing him as a “murder weapon” and saying that he intended to destroy it. Hale-Cusanelli is charged with counts including violent entry, disorderly conduct and obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disturbance.

Those charged in the riot last week included two police officers from Virginia on leave, one of them, Jacob Fracker, is a corporal in the Virginia National Guard. The other, Thomas Robertson, apparently served at different times in both the National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserves, though the military is still trying to determine his current status.

Catherine Herridge and Clare Hymes contributed to this report.