|
Dominic Pezzola, 43, had "weapons- and bomb-making manuals" on a
thumb drive device found within his home near Rochester, New
York, prosecutors said in a court filing arguing that he should
be jailed pending trial.
More than 135 people have been arrested so far in connection
with the rampage by supporters of then-President Donald Trump
that interrupted the formal congressional certification of
President Joe Biden's election victory, forced lawmakers to rush
to safety and left five people dead including a police officer.
The Justice Department said Pezzola and another member of the
Proud Boys, William Pepe, 31, of Beacon, New York, were indicted
on charges including conspiracy, civil disorder and unlawfully
entering restricted buildings or grounds.
Pezzola was also indicted on additional charges including
obstruction of an official proceeding, robbery of personal
property of the United States, and assaulting, resisting or
impeding officers, the Justice Department said.
Separately, the FBI said bombs found at the Capitol Hill
headquarters of the Democratic and Republican National
Committees were placed there the evening before the attack. The
FBI increased a reward for information about the incident to up
to $100,000.
Pezzola, known as "Spaz" to associates, poses a "serious danger
to the community and a serious risk of flight," the prosecution
brief stated. Pezzola was arrested in New York.
A lawyer for Pezzola, Mike Scibetta, said in an email that, to
his knowledge, the thumb drive was given to Pezzola, was never
opened by him, and contained a "survivalist" manual.
"The government has cherry-picked a small portion of the paper
to suit their narrative," Scibetta said.
The prosecution court filing, citing social media posts, said
Pezzola was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol.
Prosecutors said he used a police shield to break a window,
allowing other protesters to enter the building.
Once inside the Capitol, Pezzola chased a police officer up the
stairs near the entrance to the Senate chamber, and smoked a
cigar while bragging on video about the attack, prosecutors
said.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball;
Editing by Will Dunham, Andy Sullivan and David Gregorio)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
