A New Jersey man who is hired by the US Navy with “secret” security clearance has been accused of participating in the US Capitol riot, federal officials said.
Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli, 30 – described as a “declared white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer” in court documents – allegedly told other pro-Trump protesters to “move forward” during the January 6 deadly siege.
He was charged Friday with five federal charges, including: intentionally entering or staying in a restricted building without legal authority; disorderly conduct due to the Capitol; interrupting the orderly conduct of government business; parade, make demonstrations or pickets in a Capitol building; and obstructing a police officer.
A US Army reservist, Hale-Cusanelli works at the Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, where he has access to “a variety of ammunition”, according to a deposition filed with the US District Court in Washington, DC
The Naval Criminal Investigation Service began investigating Hale-Cusanelli after receiving a report from an informant who said the Colts Neck man confessed to breaking into the Capitol.
Hale-Cusanelli allegedly showed informants videos of himself “making harassing and derogatory statements to Capitol police, both inside and outside the Capitol building,” the statement said.
In a taped conversation with the informant on Thursday, Hale-Cusanelli admitted to encouraging other members of the crowd to “move forward – by giving instructions by voice and hand signals,” the court documents claim.
He said that “if they had more men, they could have taken over the entire building,” the statement said.
Hale-Cusanelli also reportedly admitted to having picked up a flag and flagpole from which he had seen another rowdy man launch “like a dart” at a Capitol police officer.
He said he wanted to get rid of the flag and flagpole as soon as he could, describing them as a “murder weapon,” says the statement.
The informant described Hale-Cusanelli as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer known for “offering extreme political views and opinions” on a YouTube channel called “Based Hermes Show” and other online forums.
“Before traveling to the rally and protesting on January 6, 2021, Hale-Cusanelli wrote ‘Trust the plan, it’s the final countdown, stay tuned for the next episode’ and ‘Trust the plan, big announcement soon'”, documents the state court.
Hale-Cusanelli was arrested on Friday. It was not clear whether he had a lawyer on Sunday.
According to an Associated Press review, at least 22 current or former US military or police members have been identified as being in or near the riot.