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Officials have released additional details of crimes for which several people now face federal charges following Wednesday’s riots and attacks on Capitol Hill.
A senior Justice Department official on Friday said law enforcement took Richard Barnett, 60, into custody in Little Rock, Ark., After a viral photo showed him sitting in the office of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with one leg resting on her desk.
After the break-in, Barnett told KFSM he was looking for the bathroom when he saw Pelosi’s office door open.
THE ILLINOIS MAN CALLS TO JOIN CAPITOL HEADQUARTERS “ THE ONLY WORST PERSONAL DECISION ”
Richard Barnett, 60, is said to have broken into the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a riot inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
(- Washington County, Arkansas)
“I am sitting here in my office. I am a taxpayer. I am a patriot. This is not his office – we loaned him this office,” he reportedly said. “And she doesn’t like the desk, so I thought I was going to sit down and enjoy the desk.”
He has been charged, among other things, with violent entry and theft of public property. Previous reports allege that he took a letter from Pelosi’s office.
Richard Barnett, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, sits inside the office of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 6.
(Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)
A second suspect, Lonnie Coffman – whom AL.com has identified as 70 years old – is accused of having two handguns, an assault rifle and 11 Molotov cocktails containing gasoline and homemade napalm , said the official.
Coffman, of Falkville, Ala., Was identified after police tied him to a suspicious red GMC pickup truck with Alabama plates.
CAPITOL PROTESTS: FBI HUNT FOR RIOT SUSPECTS GOES HIGH-TECH
Mark Leffingwell has also been indicted, accused of knowingly entering restricted terrain and assaulting an officer after entering the Capitol. Court documents released Thursday in connection with his arrest by the United States Capitol Police (USCP) show Leffingwell repeatedly punching a USCP officer in the helmet and in the chest.
The fourth man is Christopher Michael Alberts, of Maryland, accused of illegally entering the Capitol in possession of a loaded Taurus 9mm handgun, as well as a separate magazine full of ammunition. The USCP said Alberts, who was wearing a bulletproof vest, “immediately attempted to flee” before police detained him, court documents said. He is accused of also having a pocket knife at the time.
Alberts told police he had the gun “for his personal protection and that he had no intention of using the gun to harm anyone,” court documents say .
A Republican delegate to the West Virginia legislature, Derrick Evans, will soon be indicted for his actions on Wednesday, the senior official said.
Cleveland Meredith, who is accused of threatening Pelosi from one state to another, was also indicted.
NEW POSTERS FBI WANTED IN CAPITOL RIOT MANHUNT
Joshua Pruitt and Matthew Council, of Florida, face charges for knowingly entering a building or restricted land without legal permission. Council faces an additional charge of violent entry and disorderly conduct for allegedly pushing an officer.
Several others were accused of entering and remaining in a restricted building without legal authorization with the intent to disrupt government activities or official functions, and of disorderly conduct and violent entry into the grounds. from the Capitol.
Those accused of such crimes have been identified as Cindy Fitchett, of Virginia, Michael Curzio and Douglas Sweet, both of Florida, Bradley Ruskelas, of Illinois, Terry Brown, of Pennsylvania and Thomas Gallagher.
Authorities previously announced the arrest of 82 people nationally, locally and nationally, according to reports.
On Friday morning, the FBI’s Washington Field Office released 40 photos of still wanted people in connection with Wednesday’s events.
The Metropolitan Police Department said Friday morning that law enforcement had received about 17,000 tips since posting images of people wanted in Wednesday’s “insurgency”.
Ken Kohl, a senior official in the District of Columbia’s attorney’s office, said Friday investigators found “no indication” of Antifa’s involvement in Wednesday’s riots. There were also no examples of members of the anti-fascism movement posing as Trump supporters to mentor them.
When asked on Friday whether the US attorney’s office or the DOJ were considering pursuing incitement charges against President Trump or any of his associates, a senior DOJ official replied: “We are not planning any charges. of this nature. “
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The FBI is asking anyone who recognizes anyone among the wanted posters or who witnessed any of Wednesday’s activity to call 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit information online here.
Greg Norman of Fox News contributed to this report.
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