A New York man with ties to a far-right militia group and Roger Stone was charged on Monday after allegedly breaking into the United States Capitol with a pro-Trump crowd on January 6.
Roberto Minuta, 36, appeared by teleconference at the federal court in White Plains, New York, on charges of obstructing an official process, entering a restricted building and tampering with documents and procedures.
In court documents, federal authorities described Minuta, a Newburgh, New York, tattoo artist as a “lifelong” member of Oath Keepers, a group that urged former President Donald Trump to invoke the Uprising Act and send special forces and members from the militia to seize the electoral systems of the United States and suppress “domestic enemies”.
The New York Times and other media reported last month that Minuta was reportedly seen providing security to Stone – a longtime adviser to Trump, a convicted criminal who describes himself as a “dirty cheater” – near the White House early in the morning. January 6.
Minuta was later caught on video appearing to insult police officers at the entrance to the United States Capitol, according to the Times.
Federal authorities included similar images in court documents that appeared to show Minuta armed with pepper spray and using tactical equipment. The documents say he was “aggressively” scolding the police.
A message left at the store where Minuta works was not immediately returned. Minuta’s federal public defender said on Monday that he has not been accused of committing violent acts and leads a law-abiding life.
Minute was released on $ 150,000 bail with travel restrictions. He was also forced to surrender his weapons.
Trump forgave Stone in December after he was convicted of making false statements, obstruction and manipulation of witnesses in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Federal officials said last month that they were investigating whether Stone and other leading figures on the far right played a role in organizing the January 6 events.
The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against hundreds of people who allegedly participated in the Capitol invasion. Federal authorities have accused participants of a series of crimes, including assaulting a police officer, threatening to attack lawmakers and illegal entry into a protected building.
A study published last week by George Washington University described that most of those who have been arrested in the turmoil so far as “inspired believers” – people who subscribe to a series of extremist narratives and conspiracy theories, but were not linked to established groups that promote the violence .
