A retired New York City firefighter who photographed himself inside the US Capitol during the January 6 uprising and said he was “at the tip of the spear” was charged criminally, officials said on Monday.
Thomas Fee, 53, was charged on Saturday with violent entry, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and intentionally entering or staying in any restricted building or land without legal authority, according to a criminal complaint. Freeport resident Long Island was not arrested.
Fee caught the attention of authorities after someone contacted the police to report that his spouse saw a message on Fee’s girlfriend’s Facebook page stating that he was in Washington DC for the pro-Trump rally that preceded the riot inside Capitol Hill.
The person texted Fee – a 22-year-old New York Fire Department veteran who retired in October – to ask if he was in Washington. Fee replied that he was with a photo of him at the Capitol Rotunda, with alleged protesters in the background, officials said.
He later sent a video recording of a crowd inside the building shouting “tyranny” and “Pelosi”, a reference to Mayor Nancy Pelosi, prosecutors said.
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Thomas Fee, a retired New York City firefighter, took a selfie of himself inside the Capitol during the deadly Jan. 6 siege, federal prosecutors said.
(FBI)
After sending the video, Fee sent a text message to the person saying that he was “on the spear tip”, court documents say.
In a statement released last week, the New York Fire Department said it had received anonymous allegations that active or retired members were present on Capitol Hill during the siege.
“The Department respects the right of all members to personally assume and support social and political positions,” said FDNY commissioner Daniel Nigro last week. “Members of the Department, whether they are active or retired, should not engage in conduct that tends to discredit the Department or that undermines the Department’s discipline and good order.”
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In 2004, Fee was suspended from his position as a volunteer firefighter on Long Island after shouting racial slurs at a black doctor, the New York Post reported.