The FBI on Monday announced charges against more suspected Capitol attackers, including a Texas member of a far-right militia.
The feds have already released criminal charges against dozens of people accused of breaking into the Capitol in a pro-Trump riot on January 6. Recently nominated among them are Nicolas Moncada, who was arrested by the FBI’s New York office, and Guy Reffitt, a Texan. Reffitt was reportedly a member of the “Texas Freedom Force” militia and threatened to shoot his children if they became “traitors” who reported him.
Reffitt, the Texas man arrested for his alleged involvement in the attack, also had extremist ties, the FBI said. Reffitt attended the riot with a helmet equipped with a camera and what appeared to be a tactical vest, according to photos included in court documents.
According to prosecutors, Reffitt was part of the Texas Freedom Fighters, a militant group that lobbies to protect Confederate symbols, and has spent the last few weeks on Twitter accusing the left of being the real rioters.
Reffitt reportedly admitted to his family that he participated in the attacks, telling the family that “we” (probably the TFF, according to a criminal case) had “invaded the Capitol”. He also allegedly told the family that he brought a gun with him to DC
Reffitt’s children reportedly were “disturbed” by his “extreme” statements. When they expressed alarm, he allegedly told them that “if you hand me over, you are a traitor and you know what happens to traitors … traitors get shot”.
His wife provided investigators with information about the fight.
Moncada, 20, is a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, Gothamist reported. Like other prisoners in the attack, Moncada reportedly broadcast his actions live on Capitol Hill and posted on Instagram about his participation in the “storm”, a popular term for fans of the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory. A Staten Islander, Moncada appears to have supported a bar on the island that notoriously defied COVID-19 restrictions before temporarily shutting down after its owner was accused of running over a sheriff’s deputy with his car.
Moncada is the latest of several men arrested in New York in connection with the riots. In a statement, the FBI said he was “now in custody for his role in the assault on the United States Capitol while our representatives were inside performing their constitutional functions”. Other New Yorkers arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack include Dominic “Spaz” Pezzola, who wore a Proud Boys shirt while hitting the building.