Category Archives: Proud Boys

It was the table setter for what would come, with nearly 2,000 people gathering in Washington on Tuesday evening for a Rally to Save America. Speaker after angry speaker stoked stolen-election conspiracy theories and name-checked sworn enemies: Democrats and weak Republicans, Communists and Satanists.

Still, the crowd seemed a bit giddy at the prospect of helping President Trump reverse the result of the election though at times the language evoked a call to arms. It is time for war, one speaker declared.

As the audience thinned, groups of young men emerged in Kevlar vests and helmets, a number of them holding clubs and knives. Some were aligned with the neofascist Proud Boys; others with the Three Percenters, a far-right militia group.

Were not backing down anymore, said a man with fresh stitches on his head. This is our country.

That night reflected a disconcerting mix of free speech and certain menace; of everyday Americans supporting their president and extremists prepared to commit violence for him. All had assembled in answer to Mr. Trumps repeated appeals to attend a march to the Capitol the next day that he promised would be wild.

It was. By Wednesday afternoon, a narrow group of Trump supporters some exuberant, some hellbent had been storm-tossed together into infamy. A mob overran the nations Capitol, as lawmakers hid in fear. Wholesale vandalism. Tear gas. Gunfire. A woman dead; an officer dead; many injured. Chants of U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

But the insurrection failed.

It had been the culmination of a sustained assault by the president and his enablers on fact-based reality, one that began long before the November election but took on a fevered urgency as the certainty of Mr. Trumps defeat solidified. For years, he had demonized political opponents and the media and egged on thuggish behavior at his rallies.

Since losing to Joseph R. Biden Jr., he had mounted a campaign of lies that the presidency was being stolen from him, and that marching on the Capitol was the last chance to stop it. To many Americans, it looked like one more feel-good rally to salve Mr. Trumps wounded ego, but some of his supporters heard something altogether different a battle cry.

Now, dozens of them have been arrested including an armed Alabama man who had Molotov cocktails in his car and a West Virginia lawmaker charged with illegally entering the Capitol and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for help in identifying those who actively instigated violence. Many participants in the march are frantically working to erase digital evidence of their presence for fear of losing a job or being harassed online.

Mr. Trump, meanwhile, has been broadly condemned and cut off from his social media megaphones, as a new administration prepares to take power.

Kevin Haag, 67, a retired landscaper from North Carolina who ascended the Capitol steps as the crowd surged forward, said he did not go inside and disapproved of those who did. Even so, he said he would never forget the sense of empowerment as he looked down over thousands of protesters. It felt so good, he said, to show people: We are here. See us! Notice us! Pay attention!

Now, back home after several days of reflection, Mr. Haag, an evangelical Christian, wonders whether he went too far. Should I get down on my knees and ask for forgiveness? he said in an interview. I am asking myself that question.

But the experience seemed to have only hardened the resolve of others. Couy Griffin, 47, a Republican county commissioner from New Mexico, spoke of organizing another Capitol rally soon one that could result in blood running out of that building in a video he later posted to the Facebook page of his group, Cowboys for Trump.

At the end of the day, you mark my word, we will plant our flag on the desk of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, he said. He paused before adding, And Donald J. Trump if it boils down to it.

The advance publicity for the March for America had been robust. Beyond the repeated promotions in tweets by the president and his allies, the upcoming event was cheered on social media, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

But woven through many of the messages to stand up for Mr. Trump and, if possible, block the congressional certification of the election he claimed he had won was language that flirted with aggression, even violence.

For example, the term Storm the Capitol was mentioned 100,000 times in the 30 days preceding Jan. 6, according to Zignal Labs, a media insights company. Many of these mentions appeared in viral tweet threads that discussed the possible storming of the Capitol and included details on how to enter the building.

To followers of QAnon, the convoluted collection of conspiracy theories that falsely claims the country is dominated by deep-state bureaucrats and Democrats who worship Satan, the word storm had particular resonance. Adherents have often referred to a coming storm, after which Mr. Trump would preside over a new government order.

In online discussions, some QAnon followers and militia groups explored which weapons and tools to bring. Pack a crowbar, read one message posted on Gab, a social media refuge for the far right. In another discussion, someone asked, Does anyone know if the windows on the second floor are reinforced?

Still, the many waves of communication did not appear to result in a broadly organized plan to take action. It is also unclear if any big money or coordinated fund-raising was behind the mobilization, though some Trump supporters appear to have found funds through opaque online networks to help pay for transportation to the rally.

Patriots, if you need financial help getting to DC to support President Trump on January 6th, please go to my website, a QAnon adherent who identified himself as Thad Williams, of Tampa, Fla., posted on Twitter three days before the event. He said he had raised more than $27,000. (After the Capitol assault, the money transfer companies PayPal and Stripe shut down his accounts. Mr. Williams did not return a phone message, but the website for his organization, Joy In Liberty, said it had given out $30,000 to fund transportation for deserving patriots.)

Other rally goers set up fund-raising accounts through the online service GoFundMe; Buzzfeed News cited at least a dozen, and GoFundMe has since closed them.

One of the most conspicuous figures in the Capitol assault a bare-chested man with a painted face, flag-draped spear and fur hat with horns was linked to the online fund-raising. A familiar presence at pro-Trump rallies in Phoenix, Jacob Anthony Chansley, a 33-year-old voice-over actor, is known as the Q Shaman. He started a GoFundMe account in December to help pay for transportation to another Trump demonstration in Washington, but the effort reportedly netted him just $10. Mr. Chansley retweeted Mr. Williamss funding offer on Jan. 3, but it is unclear whether he benefited from it.

On Tuesday, the eve of the march, a couple thousand people gathered at Freedom Plaza in Washington for The Rally to Save America event, permitted as The Rally to Revival. The disparate interests of those attending were reflected by the speakers: well-known evangelists, alt-right celebrities (Alex Jones of Infowars) and Trump loyalists, including his former national security adviser Michael Flynn and the self-described Republican dirty trickster Roger Stone, both of whom he had pardoned.

The speakers repeatedly encouraged the attendees to see themselves as foot soldiers fighting to save the country. Americans, Mr. Flynn said, were ready to bleed for freedom.

The members of the House of Representatives, the members of the United States Senate, those of you who are feeling weak tonight, those of you that dont have the moral fiber in your body, get some tonight, he said. Because tomorrow, we the people are going to be here and we want you to know we will not stand for a lie.

Then came tomorrow.

It was President Trumps turn. At about noon on Wednesday, he emerged from a viewing party in a tent, strode onto a stage set up in a park just south of the White House and, for more than an hour, delivered a stream of inflammatory words.

He exhorted the crowd of more than 8,000 to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers: Because youll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.

Even before he had finished speaking, people started moving east toward the Capitol. The crowd included supporters who had come by caravan from across the country, Trump flags rippling in the wind, as well as people so moved by the presidents appeal for support that they had jumped into their cars and driven for hours.

They traveled from various corners of resentment in 21st-century America. Whether motivated by a sense of economic disenfranchisement or distrust of government, by bigotry, or conspiracy or a belief that Mr. Trump is Gods way of preparing for the Rapture, they shared a fealty to the president.

Now the moment had come, a moment that twinned the thrilling with the ominous.

Im happy, sad, afraid, excited, said Scott Cyganiewicz, 56, a floor installer from Gardner, Mass., as he watched the throngs of Trump loyalists streaming through the streets. Its an emotional roller coaster.

Mr. Cyganiewicz said he was on his way out of town. He did not want to be around if violence broke out. Only a portion of the broader crowd continued onto the Capitol grounds.

Soon word spread that Vice President Mike Pence who would oversee the pro forma count by Congress of the electoral votes for certification had announced he would not be complicit in the presidents efforts to overturn the election.

You can imagine the emotion that ran through people when we get that word, said Mr. Griffin, the county commissioner from New Mexico, in a video he posted on social media. And then we get down to the Capitol and they have all the inauguration set up for Joe Biden.

He added, What do you think was going to happen?

Many in the crowd spoke portentously of violence or even of another Civil War. A man named Jeff, who said he was an off-duty police officer from York County, Pa., said he didnt know what would happen after he and his wife Amy reached the Capitol. But he felt ready to participate if something were to erupt.

Theres a lot of people here willing to take orders, he said. If the orders are given, the people will rise up.

By the time the bulk of the crowd reached the building, its leading edge had metastasized into an angry mob. A man barked into a megaphone: Keep moving forward! Fight for Trump, fight for Trump!

Military Tribunals! Hang them! shouted someone wearing a cowboy hat.

Arrest Congress! screamed a woman in a flag scarf.

People surged past a few Capitol Police officers to bang on the windows and doors. Many eyewitness accounts and videos have since emerged that convey the pandemonium as hundreds of people overwhelmed the inadequate law-enforcement presence. In several instances of role reversal, for example, rioters are seen firing what appeared to be pepper spray at police officers trying to prevent mobs from getting closer to the Capitol Building.

After a few minutes, the crowd broke through and began streaming into an empty office. Glass shards crunched under peoples feet, as the scene descended into chaos.

Some stood in awe, while others took action. As one group prepared to break through an entryway, a Trump supporter raised a wine bottle and shouted, Whose way? To which the crowd responded, Our way!

Confusion reigned. Hey whats the Senate side? said a tall man in camouflage and sunglasses. Wheres the Senate? Can somebody Google it?

All the while, members of The Oath Keepers, a self-proclaimed citizens militia, seemed to be standing guard for the transgressors. They wore olive-drab shirts, helmets and patches on their upper-left sleeves that said, Guardians of the Republic and Not on Our Watch.

American flags flapped beside Trump 2020 flags, and people wearing Make America Great Again regalia moved beside people wearing anti-Semitic slogans. Chants of Hell No, Never Joe and Stop the Steal broke out, as did strains of God Bless America and The Star-Spangled Banner.

Derrick Evans of West Virginia, who just two months before had been elected as a Republican state delegate, wandered the halls of the Capitol Building, filming himself and joining in the occasional chant. At one point he shouted, Derrick Evans is in the Capitol!

Outside the building, Mr. Griffin, who was once photographed wearing a 10-gallon hat and sitting across from President Trump in the Oval Office, was now gleefully addressing the camera from atop one of the crowded terraces, declaring it a great day for America. Asserting that we came peacefully, he was interrupted by a man wearing a jacket with a hand-grenade logo, who said, Believe me, we are well armed if we need to be.

Amid the cheers and whoops of excitement were questions of what to do next. Some can be heard hunting for specific members of congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose office was broken into by several people. She and other lawmakers were hiding for fear of their safety.

One image showed a trim man moving through the Senate chamber in full paramilitary regalia: camouflage uniform, Kevlar vest, a mask and baseball cap obscuring his face. He carried a stack of flex cuffs the plastic restraints used by police. The image raised a question yet to be answered: Why carry restraints if not to use them?

Several rioters wielded fire extinguishers. One stood on a balcony on the Capitol buildings west side, spraying down on police officers trying to fend off the crowd. Others carried them into the building itself, one into Statuary Hall and another onto the steps outside the Senate Chamber, spraying in the direction of journalists and police officers.

Our president wants us here, a man can be heard saying during a livestream video that showed him standing within the Capitol building. We wait and take orders from our president.

Despite his followers hopes and expectations, President Trump was missing in action as rioters rampaged through the halls of Congress. It would be hours before he eventually surfaced in a somewhat subdued videotaped appeal for them to leave.

We have to have peace, he said. So go home, we love you, youre very special.

Some of Mr. Trumps supporters expressed frustration, even disbelief, that the president seemed to have given up after they had put themselves on the line for him.

Mr. Haag, the retired landscaper, was among the disappointed. Still, he said, the movement will continue even without Mr. Trump.

We are representing the 74 million people who got disenfranchised, he said. We are still out here. We are a force to be reckoned with. We are not going away.

One man wandered away from the Capitol in the evening gloom, yelling angrily through a megaphone that Mr. Pence was a coward and, now, Mr. Trump had told everyone to just go home.

Well, he can go home to his Mar-a-Lago estate, the man shouted, adding, We gotta go back to our businesses that are closed!

In the aftermath of what Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, called a failed insurrection, scores of those who responded to the incendiary words of the president now face a reckoning.

A chief target of investigators will be whoever struck Brian Sicknick of the Capitol Police with a fire extinguisher; the 42-year-old officer died Thursday after being injured in the riot. At the same time, authorities are investigating the fatal police shooting of Ashli Babbitt, 35, an Air Force veteran who had joined those breaching the Capitol.

Among those charged so far with federal crimes are Mr. Chansley, the so-called Q Shaman; Mr. Evans, the West Virginia lawmaker who resigned on Saturday; and Richard Barnett, an Arkansas man who was depicted in a widely circulated photograph sitting with his foot on a desk in Ms. Pelosis office.

Meanwhile, Mr. Griffin, the commissioner from New Mexico who runs Cowboys for Trump, saw his groups Twitter account suspended and calls for his resignation.

The anger, resentment and conspiracy-laced distrust that led to Wednesdays mayhem did not dissipate with Thursdays dawn. Along with the smashed furniture in the Capitol Building, there were smashed expectations of a continued Trump presidency, of lawmakers held to account, of holy prophecies fulfilled.

Signs of potential violence have already surfaced. Twitter, which terminated Mr. Trumps account on Friday, noted that plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating online, including a proposed secondary attack on the U.S. Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17.

The urge for more civil unrest is being discussed in the usual squalid corners of the internet. Private chat groups on Gab and Parler are peppered with talk of a possible Million Militia March on Jan. 20 that would disrupt the presidential inauguration of Mr. Biden.

There is chatter about ride shares, where to find lodging in the Washington area and what to bring. Baseball bats, perhaps, or assault rifles.

We took the building once, one commenter posted, we can take it again.

Reporting was contributed by Sabrina Tavernise, Sheera Frenkel, David D. Kirkpatrick, Campbell Robertson, Mark Scheffler and Haley Willis.

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Our President Wants Us Here: The Mob That Stormed the Capitol - The New York Times

Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2021

A man with local ties and self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys was arrested Friday in Corinth on charges related to the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Daniel Goodwyn, 32, was one of many in an insurrectionist mob made up of ardent supporters of Donald Trump that stormed the Capitol that day, according to a criminal complaint filed against Goodwyn by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As the U.S. Congress convened to certify the presidential election results, the large crowd forced entry into the building, forcing the Congress members to be evacuated. Several people, including a U.S. Capitol police officer, died during the riot, according to the Associated Press.

Goodwyn was seen and identified in a video that was live-streamed online in which Goodwyn called a police officer an oathbreaker after the officer directed him out of the building. An associate of Goodwyns identified him in the video and also showed the FBI some social media messages and posts by Goodwyn from the Capitol siege. In one post, a message from his account said I didnt break or take anything but I went inside for a couple minutes.

According to the complaint, Goodwyn is a self-proclaimed member of the Proud Boys, a far-right mens organization that received national attention in the first presidential debate when Trump was asked to denounce them and he told them to stand back and stand by.

According to Goodwyns website and LinkedIn pages, he attended Marcus High School in Flower Mound before moving to San Francisco. He was with family in Corinth last week when he was taken into custody and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Continued here:

'Proud Boy' with local ties charged in storming of US Capitol - The Cross Timbers Gazette

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.

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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

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

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

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.

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Originally posted here:

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

FILE PHOTO: Eduard Florea appears during a virtual hearing on weapons charges in a New York court in this January 13, 2021 courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Proud Boys supporter who U.S. prosecutors said kept a large weapons cache and made ominous social media posts, including toward a Democratic senator, pleaded not guilty to charges of being a felon in possession of ammunition and making online threats.

Eduard Florea, of Queens, New York, entered his plea through a federal public defender at a Friday hearing before Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak in Brooklyn federal court.

Florea was charged after FBI agents searched his Middle Village home and found more than 900 rounds of ammunition, 72 military-style combat knives, two hatchets and two swords, according to court papers.

Prosecutors said Florea used the name LoneWolfWar on Parler, a social media platform popular with many conservatives, to make threats before and during the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, though he did not travel to Washington, D.C.

According to a Jan. 22 indictment, Florea responded to a post concerning newly-elected Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock by writing Dead men cant pass s*** laws, and later wrote I am awaiting my orders ... Armed and ready to deploy and Its time to unleash some violence.

Florea had been previously convicted on a New York state weapons possession charge, prosecutors said. He was arrested Jan. 12 and detained without bail.

The Proud Boys are a far-right group that has supported violence and had endorsed former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Bill Berkrot

See more here:

Proud Boys supporter who U.S. says had ammunition cache and made threats pleads not guilty - Reuters

County GOP Chairperson Betsy Mahan said Perrine intends to argue against the Executive Committee's recommendation and remain on the committee.

SACRAMENTO, Calif The Sacramento County Republican Party is calling for the resignation of Jeffrey Perrine, a recently-elected member of their Central Committee who is affiliated with the Proud Boys.

In an interview with the Sacramento Bee, Perrine said he was a member of the Proud Boys but wasn't an officer in the organization. He told the Sacramento Bee that county GOP Chairperson Betsy Mahan told him to resign from the position.

Ive been a member, but Im not a head or an officer of any kind in any organization, Perrine told The Sacramento Bee. Yeah, Im still with the Proud Boys. Im just a member. Im a part of a fraternity.

The Southern Poverty Law Center designated the Proud Boys as a hate group. The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic.

"When I first had a conversation with Mr. Perrine he said he was not a member of the Sacramento Proud Boys as the Bee was reporting," Mahan told ABC10. "Later, he told the Bee he was a member of the national organization, but not the local one."

In a statement sent out on Monday, Mahan addressed the issue.

"The Executive Committee of the Sacramento County Republican Party has unanimously called for the resignation of recently elected Central Committee Member Jeffrey Perrine," she said. "This is in response to Mr. Perrines expressed desire to maintain his membership in an organization whose views and actions are inconsistent with the values of the Republican Party."

She said Perrine ran in a Central Committee race where the number of candidates was equal to the number of seats and candidates, so he didn't appear on the March 2020 ballot. While Perrine was eligible to take office during the committee's virtual meeting in January, Mahan said that he did not attend and has not been sworn in.

Mahan said any member of a political party can run for Central Committee under state law. She said Perrine intends to argue against the Executive Committee's recommendation and remain on the committee.

At the same meeting, the executive committee intends to present a resolution for approval during the meeting that denounces all groups calling for hate or violence.

"We call on all political parties to join us," Mahan said.

Link:

Sacramento GOP call for resignation of member with ties to Proud Boys - ABC10.com KXTV

ALBANY An undercover State Police investigator was nearby, watching as supporters of President Donald J. Trump began gathering in East Capitol Park on the morning of Jan. 6.

Many in the small group, which would swell in size over the next few hours to about 35 people, were holding flags and wearing Trump paraphernalia. They were there as part of a coordinated "Stop the Steal" rally timed to coincide with the massive gathering in Washington, D.C., that would subsequently turn violent as thousands of protesters forced their way into the U.S. Capitol leaving five people dead.

The protest in Albany would also turn violent, though it paled in comparison to the siege in Washington. It wasn't the first time in recent months that a demonstration in Albany had turned ugly two otherwise peaceful protests in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd last spring devolved into clashes with police, property destruction and episodes of looting.

But the melee that unfolded as Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was giving a coronavirus briefing in a room overlooking the park was something different: a brawl between individuals who are increasingly likely to recognize each other, and show up armed with weapons.

Interviews with multiple law enforcement officials, and a review of court and police records, indicate that at least some of the violence is linked to people who are familiar to police in the Capital Region.

"These are people that are showing up at ... different rallies, in different bubbles but they are monitoring each other" on social media platforms, said a law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the ongoing investigation of the Capitol incident. "If youre going to the Capitol to rally, why would you be arming yourself with a knife? Youre supposed to be arming yourself with ideas, and the Capitol the theater of ideas has become the theater of war."

'I knew who he was'

The undercover investigator, who is assigned to a Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit, arrived in the East Capitol Park that morning at about 10 a.m. and reported to Edward Baskerville, a State Police senior investigator overseeing Capitol security, that she recognized three of the counter-protesters who were present.

As the crowd of Trump supporters grew over next 90 minutes, the undercover investigator, who was circling the park on foot, also noted that two or three men, "possibly members of the Proud Boys, were present," according to an affidavit she later filed documenting what unfolded.

The protesters were gathered at the base of the Capitol steps around a bronze equestrian statue of Gen. Philip Sheridan. People in the crowd known by the undercover investigator also were familiar with one another.

In addition to members of the Proud Boys, which the FBI has described as a right-wing extremist group, there was at least one self-described member of Antifa, an unstructured web of anti-fascist groups and individuals that have been described by the FBI as violent anarchists.

A 35-year-old Rotterdam man, who told police he has been a founding member of the Proud Boys' Troy chapter for about three years, was sitting on a bench watching as some of the counter-protesters and Trump supporters argued. He told police that some of the Trump supporters and counter-protesters came close to scuffling as they argued, but it was initially broken up.

Minutes later, over his left shoulder, he observed 37-year-old Alexander S. Contompasis of Albany, crouched on the frozen grass, clutching a cup of coffee and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and aviator sunglasses.

"The man with the aviator glasses said that he knew who I was and I knew who he was," the Rotterdam man told police later in a statement. "I said that I did know him. I recognized him but I don't remember where from. I don't remember ever having a confrontation with him in (the) past."

Contompasis, according to his Facebook posts and his brother, Samson, who is a local artist, has also attended protests outside of New York, including the infamous August 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and Trump's inauguration earlier that year in Washington, D.C.

Contompasis has described himself as a security person for Black Lives Matter events and, on his Facebook page, embraces Antifa. He also has posted articles reporting Proud Boys being stabbed at events in the nation's Capitol, adding an emoji of a knife to some of those posts.

Samson Contompasis contends his brother, Alexander, was acting in self-defense when he allegedly stabbed two supporters of President Donald J. Trump during a protest at the state Capitol on Jan. 6. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union)

Alexander S. Contompasis

"Ten years ago if you told me I was going to be part of an underground Anarchist network of masked avengers called Antifa, work with Skinheads to fight white supremacists, (and) have the honor of providing security for events organized by the Black Liberation Movement ... I would have absolutely no idea what the (expletive) you were talking about," Contompasis wrote in a Facebook post on Dec. 2.

Knife, Taser, batons

According to police, Contompasis was armed with a knife in East Capitol Park.

Security video shows the melee began when a Trump supporter appeared to throw a punch at Brandon J. Brown, a 21-year-old Schenectady man who police said was cursing at the pro-Trump protesters. Brown and Contompasis had been sitting together about 35 minutes before the violence erupted.

During the ensuing fight that broke out between Trump supporters several of them Proud Boys and the counter-protesters, police allege Contompasis pulled a knife from his pocket and stabbed two men, including the 35-year-old Rotterdam man. The Times Union is not identifying that man because he could not be reached for comment, he has not been charged with a crime and he told police that a counter-protester, after he was stabbed, threatened to find and harm him.

The second man who was stabbed, a 40-year-old military member who returned from overseas duty recently, suffered an eviscerated bowel and underwent emergency surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital. He was hospitalized for more than five days. His stabbing, however, took place outside the view of a security video that was released last weekend by the Albany County district attorney's office.

"Im hoping to get additional videos," said Melissa Carpinello, an attorney for Contompasis who said her client was acting in self-defense. "Im hoping to see all of the videos, and hopefully that (stabbing) is on camera."

Although police have not confirmed it, witnesses including the undercover investigator said that someone discharged a Taser during the fight.

"Iheard a sound that is known to me as a Taser discharging and ... someone shouting, 'He has a knife,'" the investigator wrote in her affidavit.

In addition, at least two counter-protesters were armed with collapsible batons called Asps and one of them, 28-year-old Nicholas Waunsch of Troy, allegedly swung his at Trump supporters during the melee, according to police. Waunsch was charged with misdemeanor counts of weapons possession and menacing.

The second man armed with a baton, according to police, was 33-year-old Alexis Figuereo, who returned to the Capitol last week to take part in a follow-up protest about what he alleged was police abuse during his arrest. He claims a trooper put a knee on his neck after knocking him to the ground when he tried to walk through what was then a taped-off crime scene.

Law enforcement officials who reviewed video footage of that arrest, which happened after the fight, said it showed a trooper appearing to kneel on Figuereo's torso as he allegedly resisted arrest, but not on his neck. They said the trooper cautioned Figuereo several times not to walk through the crime scene but he ignored his order.

Figuereo, who characterized the Trump supporters as "Nazis" and the State Police as their sympathizers, accused police of aligning themselves with the Trump supporters because only one of them an Albany man who allegedly struck a woman in the face with a flag pole was charged with harassment, a violation. Figuereo was charged with resisting arrest, criminal possession of a weapon, criminal trespass, assault and disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors.

"When the Proud Boys started to be attacked back, that is when it started to be a problem, Figuereo said. "(Police) were there to protect the Proud Boys, apparently not to protect us."

'I'm not going to stand back'

Samson Contompasis, 41, who also has served as a volunteer "security guard" at protest events, said his brother acted in self-defense and had been knocked to the ground by a Trump supporter before stabbing the man in self-defense.

"The reason that my brother is off-camera is that when he went to separate the fight, one of the Proud Boys came up and cleared him. Hes on the ground and this guy gets on top of him and repeatedly starts punching him in the face and head," Contompasis said. "When the video pans up, my brother gets up off of the ground and he sees two people attacking one of his friends, who is on the ground. One of the guys ... is kicking the Black man in the head."

Contompasis said his brother has attended dozens of protests on the East Coast as a journalist. He said his brother had a "public access show" called "Albany Banana Corps" and also uses Facebook and YouTube to post videos of protests he captures on video. There are also social media posts, many from right-wing supporters, of Alexander Contompasis engaged in violence at the protests.

In a 2017 interview with CNN, Alexander Contompasis said he and other Antifa members videotape footage of "Nazis" at demonstrations to expose them to the public, their friends and co-workers.

"The only other option is allowing them to attack the community," he told CNN, explaining why he and other Antifa members attend pro-Trump and white supremacist demonstrations. "I'm not going to stand back and do that. If people aren't going to stand up to them, then they're going to grow. The same thing happened pre-World War II and the next thing you know, 6 million dead Jews. Is it worth it? Yeah, to prevent another Holocaust, absolutely. ... Is there another Civil War coming if we don't stop it?"

His brother, Samson, disputed that his brother and others went to the Albany pro-Trump rally to counter-protest.

"It wasnt a counter-protest. The two Black men that were there, they were just sitting on the bench," he said. "They werent yelling; they werent doing anything. This white nationalist group goes up on the statue and starts flashing white power symbols at them."

That account is contradicted by the undercover police investigator, who was reporting in real time to a senior investigator that the counter-protesters were antagonizing the Trump supporters.

Contompasis said it was just a coincidence that his brother went to the Capitol protest carrying a knife.

"We're artists. ... He didn't bring a weapon to fight with; it was just incidental he had it on him," he said. "Alex didnt come with a weapon, he just happened to have his knife on him."

When a Proud Boy allegedly used a Taser on one of the Black men, "that's when the rules of combat change," Contompasis said. "Then you know that there's six enemy combatants there not one of them has a weapon? You have to assume that all of them have a weapon."

The 35-year-old Proud Boy member told the State Police that Alexander Contompasis had pulled the knife out of his pocket before any punches were thrown as Brown, who was also arrested, and a Trump supporter squared off.

"I saw a pinkish-red colored handle and realized that he was reaching for a knife," the man told police. "I grabbed his left arm and said, 'Don't stab anybody.' He said: 'I will stab someone.'"

Samson Contompasis also criticized the police response, contending "they should have been there once (the pro-Trump protesters) started surrounding a Black man."

State Police were monitoring the protest through Capitol surveillance cameras and had uniformed troopers staged inside the building. They ran in and helped break up the protest just after two Albany police officers, who had been nearby, ran into the park first.

Alexander Contompasis quickly left the scene and went to his vehicle, which was parked nearby. He was pulled over by State Police a few blocks away and troopers recovered a knife, with blood on it, in the vehicle.

When asked why his brother would go to a protest, like the one at the Capitol, rather than leaving it to police to handle any unruliness, Samson Contompasis said they are Jewish and Greek and have been fighting anti-Semitism and racism their entire lives.

They view their presence as security at these events as a form of civic duty.

"This is the same day that our nations Capitol was sacked by the exact same group," Samson Contompasis said. "They dont just wave their flags. These people are there to incite violence, theyre there to incite terror on Black communities around this country. ... By doing security, by being there, were preventing outside forces from intervening on the message that is meant to be told."

Insurrection at the US Capitol

Read more from the original source:

A political brawl at the Capitol with weapons - Times Union

Stephanie Warsmith|Akron Beacon Journal

The Proud Boys call themselves Western chauvinists.

They wear black and yellow Polo-style shirts that make them easy to spot.

And, increasingly, the group is being tied to demonstrations that have turned destructive and deadly, including the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week.

With President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration next week and threats made to target Washington D.C. and state capitals, many are concerned that the Proud Boys and other radical, right-leaning groups could wreak more havoc.

Youre seeing a lot of rhetoric revolution, attacks on statehouses, Bidens inauguration, said David Licate, a University of Akron criminal justice professor who once served on an FBI team that studied violent extremists. You have to take it seriously. They (Proud Boys) are becoming more violent.

Though the Proud Boys have been gaining national notoriety, they havent drawn as much attention in the Akron area.

I have heard of this group in a national context, said Lt. Michael Miller, an Akron police spokesman. I am not aware of any local activity or chatter.

But in the past two years, there have been signs of the groups presence locally and in Ohio:

Proud Boys sent a press release to the Canton Repository, another USA TODAY Network Ohio newspaper, last month promoting food and toy donations in Canton and Lorain around the holidays.

However, the Beacon Journal was unable to find anyone involved in the group locally to talk to for this story. No one responded to a request for comment made on the Proud Boys website or an email sent to the address on the poster hung in Wooster.

We dont talk to the media, said Dan Ciammaichella, who was identified as a media spokesman for the Akron-Canton Proud Boys in the release sent to the Repository. Thank you very much.

Proud Boys is a relatively new group, kicked off in 2016.

Gavin McGinnes, co-founder of Vice Media, started the group and called it a club for men. He espoused misogynistic and anti-Islamic views, as well as racist overtones.

He claimed they were not alt-right, not white nationalist but pro-west, like a fraternity, said Licate, a 20-year UA professor.

The groups tenets, according to its website, include: minimal government, maximum freedom, anti-political correctness, anti-drug war, closed borders, anti-racial guilt, anti-racism, pro-free speech, pro-gun rights, glorifying the entrepreneurand venerating the house wife.

To become a Proud Boy, a man must declare he is a Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating a modern world, according to the website. Leaders of the group define this chauvinism as patriotism or extreme nationalism.

The groups name is a nod to a song in Disneys "Aladdin" called Proud of Your Boy.

I just made it up, McGinnes said in a video on the Proud Boys website.

McGinnes said the group has gained thousands of members all over the world, including in Africa, Japan and Australia.

New Proud Boys members must be beaten up by five men until they can name five breakfast cereals, quit porn and get a tattoo, McGinnis said.

McGinnis recalled a timewhen he went to New York University to give a talk and the group's members clashed with protesters.

We beat the crap out of them, McGinnis said in the video, drawing cheers and applause from the audience.

McGinnis has now stepped away from the group and Enrique Tarrio, who is originally from Cuba, is the new leader.

Licate said the group has gotten more violent and well-armed.

New members are now asked to beat up someone they thinkis liberal or left-leaning, Licate said.

They went from a pseudo-fraternity that gets it name from an Aladdins song and has to recite cereals to becoming increasingly militant, Licate said.

Some Proud Boys members werent happy with the groups alt-light characterization and started the Fraternal Order of Alt Knights (FOAK), who are considered the groups bodyguards or strike force, Licate said.

Tarrio, the new Proud Boys leader, was arrested for burning a Black Lives Matter banner taken from a historic Black church in a December demonstration in Washington, D.C. to protest Trumps election defeat. Tarrio also faces weapons charges and wasbanned from being in the Capitol, besides going to court.

Licatesaid he would characterize Proud Boys as a hate group. He said hes not sure if they meet the definition of domestic terrorists, which refers to a group that has engaged in violence for a political or social end.

Licate said Proud Boys were at the Jan. 6 protest outside of the Capitol, but he isnt sure if they were among those who breached the building.

Proud Boys, Three Percenters and Oath Keepers were among the right-wing extremist groups captured in photos and videos at the Capitol insurrection. Five people were killed, including a police officer.

Licate said Three Percenters and Oath Keepers both have an ex-military/law enforcement base and the Oath Keepers are staunch constitutionalists. He said Proud Boys lean heavier on misogyny and racism than these other groups.

They are all anti-left and hard-core conservative, Licate said.

Closer to home, Licate said hes aware the Proud Boys have chapters in Columbus and the Akron area but hasnt heard much about their activities.

They havent really made themselves known, beyond an online presence, he said.

The Akron-Canton Proud Boys had an open-carry display on the Kent State campus in September 2019 as a counter to a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Beto ORourke. ORourke had proposed a mandatory gun buyback program during a presidential debate.

The Proud Boys display featured an array of rifles and smaller firearms, secured with metal rope and padlocks. A sign on the front asked onlookers, Which one of these should be banned?

Were out here, pretty much, just to spark conversation with people, Ron Jones, a Proud Boys member, told the Record-Courier. Were hoping people from their side will come up and talk with us a little bit and maybe bridge the gap a little bit.

The event was largely peaceful, though a Kent student was arrested for throwing a milkshake on Proud Boys members.

In early November, a Proud Boys flier was hung in the front of the Spoon Market & Deli in downtown Wooster, angering the owners of the business.

The flier said, The lies of the left are meant to dissuade, distract and demoralize, and called Proud Boys the most lied about, slandered and targeted group. Why? it asked and included a website and email addressfor the group.

Patrice Smith, co-owner of the deli, posted the flier on her Facebook page, seeking information on the cowardly person or people who posted it. Her post drew both backlash and support.

We will not compromise our integrity, ethics and responsibility, Smith wrote.

The Akron-Canton Proud Boys, in an emailed statementto the Daily-Record newspaper, said its members distributed fliers in the Wooster area Oct. 30.

"Proud Boys wanted to send a message to the voters in America that we are EVERYWHERE, so they can feel safe casting their votes through November 3rd," said the statement, signed by the group.

Flyers also were posted in Amherst Plaza in Massillon.

More: Proud Boys, counter-protesters clash

In mid-December, a 43-year-old Akron man was among 39 people arrested after a group of Proud Boys protesting Trumps election defeat clashed with anti-Trump counter-protesters in Washington D.C.

Four people were stabbed, while others were beaten and pepper-sprayed and several churches were vandalized.

These Proud Boys are avowed white nationalists and have been called to stand up against a fair and legal election, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, told the Washington Post.

The Akron man is accused of being part of a large group spotted by an officer chasing down another man, knocking him to the ground and beating him with what appeared to be long, thin batons. The officer saw the Akron man take a running start and kick the other man in the head several times while he was on the ground, according to court records.

The man who was beaten fled and didnt return to the scene.

The Akron man wore black para-military style clothing, including a helmet, vest, backpack and gloves, as well as a yellow scarf. He also had a black plastic and rubber baton that was about 4 feet long, according to court records.

Police charged the Akron man with rioting, attempted possession of a criminal weapon and assault, all misdemeanors. He pleaded not guilty in D.C. Superior Court and was released until his next court appearance.

Neither the Akron man nor his attorney could be reached for comment.

Law enforcement in the Capitol and across the country are worried that the type of violence seen in D.C. in December or at the Capitol could be repeated or escalated before and on inauguration day.

Licate said law enforcement must prepare for the worst, while weighing the right to protest with the need to protect safety and prevent destruction.

Were stuck in a holding pattern, Licatesaid. When people take the jump from word to deed, thats when law enforcement can get involved.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

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Proud Boys among groups being watched as inauguration approaches. Do they have Northeast Ohio ties? - Akron Beacon Journal

A Queens man who told federal agents he wanted to join the far-right Proud Boys group was charged with a weapons offense on Wednesday after messages he posted on social media around the time of the Capitol riot raised alarms, according to prosecutors and court documents.

The man, Eduard Florea, had been detained late Tuesday after a search of his home turned up an arsenal of over 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, two dozen shotgun rounds, 75 military-style combat knives, two hatchets and two swords, prosecutors said. No gun was found.

The arrest of Mr. Florea, a 40-year-old software engineer, came amid an intensifying nationwide manhunt for those who broke into the U.S. Capitol last week as part of a violent rampage by supporters of President Trump who wanted to overturn the election results.

Though Mr. Florea was not one of the numerous people being pursued for participating in the riot, law enforcement officials considered him menacing enough to arrive in an armored vehicle at his home to arrest him. His lawyer, taking issue with the approach, described the vehicle as a military tank.

Among the comments that caused the authorities concern and prompted the search of his house, the complaint says, was one in which Mr. Florea appeared to threaten the Rev. Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia, around the time Mr. Warnock was declared the winner of a U.S. Senate seat.

At around 1 a.m. on Jan. 6, while posting under the name LoneWolfWar in a group thread about Mr. Warnock on the social media website Parler, the complaint says, Mr. Florea wrote that dead men cant pass laws, with an obscenity added for emphasis.

Later that day, also on Parler, Mr. Florea wrote of having three cars of armed patriots in a caravan headed to Washington, the complaint says. As the Capitol riot unfolded, he wrote that the time for peace and civility was over and that here in New York we are target rich.

I will fight so help me god, he added.

At a bail hearing in Federal District Court in Brooklyn that was held remotely, Mr. Floreas lawyer pointed out the F.B.I. had concluded that her client, despite his online bravado, did not have a car and had not gone to Washington.

Nonetheless, the tenor of his social media comments was ominous enough to heighten the authorities interest, especially when matched with his status as a felon, according to prosecutors and the complaint.

In 2014, Mr. Florea was found guilty of illegal gun possession after a search of the Staten Island home where he was living turned up a stockpile that included a semiautomatic shotgun and an AR-15 assault rifle, a federal prosecutor said at the hearing on Wednesday.

Mr. Florea bought the guns legally outside New York City, but was not supposed to have them within the five boroughs, his lawyer, Mia Eisner-Grynberg, said at the hearing. He served a year in jail as a result of the conviction, she said.

Mr. Florea is now charged federally with being a felon in possession of ammunition. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Questioned by F.B.I. agents after he was taken into custody on Tuesday, Mr. Florea said he supported the Proud Boys, a far-right organization that has endorsed violence and Mr. Trump, and had applied to join the groups ranks, a federal prosecutor said at the bail hearing.

He told the agents that he had gone to Washington with Proud Boys members in December and had vandalized a church there, but was not yet a member of the group because he had not attended the required number of meetings, the prosecutor said.

This is not just rhetoric, Francisco Navarro, the prosecutor, said in arguing against granting Mr. Florea bail. This is rhetoric backed by action.

Given his willingness to travel to D.C. with criminals, the government believes the defendant is particularly dangerous in the current political environment, Mr. Navarro added.

Ms. Eisner-Grynberg, Mr. Floreas lawyer, told the judge that her client did not condone the behavior that had occurred at the Capitol last Wednesday.

You cant condemn what happened at the Capitol and hang out with the Proud Boys, Mr. Navarro replied.

Ms. Eisner-Grynberg argued that Mr. Florea should be released from custody because he had not been charged with making threats online and that many of the statements he had made were false. She also said the rhetoric was extremely high on all sides on the day of the riot.

The judge, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara, rejected that argument forcefully.

This is not mere blather, Judge Bulsara said. And frankly, I think its deeply incorrect to make that suggestion.

Siding with the government, the judge denied Mr. Florea bail.

In arguing against releasing Mr. Florea, Mr. Navarro also cited a 2014 news article that quoted a criminal complaint describing how Mr. Florea had choked his wife until she nearly lost consciousness while holding their infant daughter and then had threatened to kill them both with a knife.

Ms. Eisner-Grynberg said that those allegations had been dismissed. She also said that, after a lot of counseling, Mr. Florea and his wife, who now have two children, had reconciled and that the wife had no concerns about him being at home with her.

William K. Rashbaum contributed reporting.

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Proud Boys Supporter With 1,000 Rifle Rounds Made Threats, U.S. Says - The New York Times