AN US Army reservist with secret-level security clearance and “access to a variety of ammunition” – described in court documents as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer–was accused of participating in the violent Capitol insurrection on January 6.
Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli of Colts Neck, New Jersey, works as a contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle, which is also located in Colts Neck, according to an FBI testimony filed last week.
He now faces five federal charges: 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.
The Naval Weapons Station Earle is the operational support base for four combat logistics ships of the Military Shipping Command: USNS Arctic, USNS Robert E. Peary, USNS William McLean and USNS Medgar Evers.
At least 22 current members or former US military or police officers have been charged with participating in the Capitol riot, according to the Associated Press. The first American military man to be arrested for his participation in the deadly riot was Jacob Fracker, a Virginia policeman and current Army National Guard.
Hale-Cusanelli, who does not have a lawyer listed in the file and could not be reached for comment, was reported by a confidential source to the Naval Criminal Investigation Service (NCIS) on January 12, six days after the deadly siege. An indictment document filed by prosecutors says Hale-Cusanelli showed the source videos on his cell phone of himself “making harassing and derogatory statements to Capitol police, both inside and outside the Capitol building”.
“During our meeting on January 12, 2021, the The Daily Beast told me that Hale-Cusanelli is an avowed white supremacist and a Nazi sympathizer who posts video statements on YouTube uttering extreme political opinions and views under the title ‘Based Hermes Show’ ”, wrote NCIS special agent Daniel J. Meyers in a sworn statement.
“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.'”
Two days later, the source secretly recorded a conversation with Hale-Cusanelli, who “admitted to entering the Capitol and encouraged other members of the mob to ‘move forward’ – giving instructions by means of voice and hand signals,” explains the statement.
“Hale-Cusanelli told the The Daily Beast that if they had more men, they could have taken over the entire building. Hale-Cusanelli also admitted to taking a flag and a flagpole that he watched another rowdy man throw ‘like a dart’ at a Capitol Police officer, which Hale-Cusanelli described as a ‘murder weapon’ ”.
Much of Hale-Cusanelli’s “Based Hermes” content has been removed from the Internet, but some of it remains available. In an April 2020 video, Hale-Cusanelli, like Based Hermes, criticizes Jews and makes reference to “Boogaloo”, a slang used by white supremacists for the second civil war that they claim to be fomenting.
The sacking of the Capitol on January 6 “was a failed attempt to topple a branch of the duly elected government and undermine our democracy,” Representatives Ruben Gallego and Sara Jacobs, Democrats of Arizona and California, wrote in a letter to the Secretary of Defense in exercise, Chris Miller last week. “Congressman Gallego and I agreed that the Department of Defense should actively and aggressively investigate any potential active service or retired service members who participated in the violence. Any member of the service who violated his oath to the constitution must face the full extent of military justice. “
FBI agents are chasing thousands of leads related to the insurrection attempt, according to the Justice Department. On Friday, prosecutors accused four more men of participating in the unrest.
Louisiana resident Cody Connell framed himself and his cousin Daniel Page Adams through his own Facebook posts, according to an FBI statement.
“I have more videos of us violating the Capitol, but I’m not going to post them,” wrote Connell. “We will be back and it will be much worse than yesterday!”
Andrew Wrigley, from Pennsylvania, posted selfies on Facebook that he allegedly took in Capitol riots and wrote that “he was poisoned with tear gas” inside the building, says a statement from the Capitol Police. Later, Wrigley tried to delete his posts, but the investigators obtained screenshots that are included in the complaint against him.
And Brandon Fellows, a resident of upstate New York, is facing charges for his role in the Capitol riots after giving CNN a scene interview.
“We took Capitol and it was glorious,” Fellows reportedly wrote on Facebook according to an FBI statement.