Two men wanted in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol were arrested over the weekend, including one who reportedly served as a bodyguard t...
Two men wanted in the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol were arrested over the weekend, including one who reportedly served as a bodyguard to former President Donald Trump's longtime political confidant Roger Stone, federal authorities said Monday.
Roberto Minuta breached the Capitol grounds and 'aggressively berated and taunted U.S. Capitol police officers' during the Jan. 6 insurrection, the FBI said in court papers.
Minuta, 36, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, had been 'equipped with military-style attire and gear, including apparel emblazoned with a crest related to the Oath Keepers,' the FBI said, referring to the far-right antigovernment militia.
The New York Times identified Minuta as one of six people who provided security to Stone in the hours before the assault on the Capitol and was even featured in video unearthed by ABC News.
Roberto Minuta, of New Jersey was dressed in military gear and arrested for his alleged participation in the Capitol siege on January 6
Minuta is said to served as a bodyguard to former President Donald Trump's longtime political confidant Roger Stone, pictured together far left
Also arrested over the weekend was Isaac Steve Sturgeon, 32, of Dillon, Montana, who is charged with shoving a metal police barricade into police officers during the insurrection, according to court records.
At least five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the violence at the Capitol, and two other officers killed themselves after. More than 300 people have been charged with federal crimes.
Stone, who was pardoned after his sentence for several felony charges was initially commuted by Trump, was in Washington the day of the assault but has denied any involvement.
Roger Stone, former advisor to President Trump greets supporters, after he spoke in front of the Supreme Court on January 5, 2021 in Washington, D.C.
Minuta can be seen wearing a baseball hat and military-style vest branded with the Oath Keeper logo. He was spotted on video later that day in the gathering crowd approaching the Capitol, and has been charged with obstruction of Congress and unlawful entry
Minuta is said to have deleted a Facebook account he had maintained for 13 years to conceal his involvement
In a statement, Stone said that while some Oath Keepers provided him with security at several January 6 rallies, he had no advance knowledge of the riots and was not involved in them.
'I do not know Mr. Minuta nor was I familiar with his name prior to his being identified in earlier media stories where it was alleged that he was involved in illegal events up at the Capitol,' Stone said.
Stone said he has publicly denounced the attack on the Capitol and believes anyone involved should be prosecuted.
One month earlier, in December 2020, Minuta was pictured alongside former General Michael Flynn at an event held to protest the outcome of presidential election outside the Supreme Court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Gianforti told a magistrate judge in White Plains federal court that Minuta was among Oath Keepers who illegally provided freelance security in Washington for 'various high-profile individuals who I won´t name.'
Minuta, 36, of Hackettstown, New Jersey, had been 'equipped with military-style attire and gear, including apparel emblazoned with a crest related to the Oath Keepers,' the FBI said, referring to the far-right anti-government militia
Minuta is pictured here walking behind Former General Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump's pardoned national security adviser, in December 2020
Minuta can also be seen here, far left, along with former General Michael Flynn, as they depart a protest of the 2020 presidential election held outside the Supreme Court last December
Flynn gives a thumbs up while being closely chaperoned by Minuta, circled
Minuta, who was arrested at his tattoo shop in Newburgh, New York. He is seen above with his wife
Minuta is also said to have deleted a Facebook account. he is seen above in a social media photo
Minuta, who was arrested at his tattoo shop in Newburgh, New York, told federal agents 'something to the effect of: `Why am I being targeted here? Why aren´t you going after Antifa and Black Lives Matter members?'' Gianforti said.
The prosecutor said the statements suggest 'a lack of remorse for his actions and an ongoing allegiance to the ideology that led him to break the law.'
He accused Minuta of 'screaming at Capitol Police officers on January 6 and indeed spitting at their feet, which is one of the most disrespectful gestures that one can do.'
Gianforti said Minuta had cancelled his phone account on March 1 and gotten rid of his iPhone while moving between a Texas dwelling and his New York business.
Minuta is also said to have deleted a Facebook account to 'conceal his involvement in these offenses,' the court papers said.
Minuta is accused of 'screaming at Capitol Police officers on January 6 and indeed spitting at their feet, which is one of the most disrespectful gestures that one can do.'
Ben Gold, Minuta's court-appointed attorney, said his client was not violent on January 6. A magistrate judge agreed, letting him be freed on $150,000 bail despite the prosecutor's request he be held as a danger to the community and risk to flee.
'He´s not a flight risk. He´s not a danger to the community,' Gold said.
The lawyer said a criminal complaint describing the charges say Minuta entered the Capitol forcefully, but yet the description afterward 'doesn't say he used an ounce of force.'
Judge Krause said that while the charges were 'most certainly' serious, he saw no evidence Minuta had committed violence, and that prosecutors may have overstated the risk of violence because he had worn military-style gear.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Gianforti said Minuta was a danger to the community and should have been held in custody, arguing he had been 'spoiling for a fight of some kind,' and that whatever motivated him 'has not been washed from his mind.'
Roger Stone, former advisor to President Donald Trump, greets supporters after speaking in front of the Supreme Court on the day before the Capitol riot on January 5
More than 200 people have been charged in connection with the riot, which began after a rally where Trump urged supporters to help him fight Congress' confirmation of Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election. Steve Sturgeon is pictured top row, far right
Gianforti also said Minuta had an 'apparent love of firearms,' with 10 guns registered to his name and one on his person when he was arrested.
Gold, countered that gun ownership was no reason to detain Minuta, and that the defendant was planning to sell the guns. Krause ordered that Minuta get rid of his guns by Tuesday.
Krause said the defendant may travel between New York and Texas, where his wife and two children live. He faces charges of obstructing an official proceeding, unlawful entry and tampering with documents.
Minuta is the latest alleged associate of the Oath Keepers to face charges for his role in the Capitol riots, in which more than 100 police officers were assaulted, one was killed, and the Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damages
Minuta is the latest alleged associate of the Oath Keepers to face charges for his role in the Capitol riots, in which more than 100 police officers were assaulted, one was killed, and the Capitol suffered millions of dollars in damages.
Last month, a grand jury indicted nine associates of the Oath Keepers on charges they conspired to prevent Congress from certifying Biden's election victory. Several of them have since pleaded not guilty.
'Minuta stormed the Capitol grounds and was photographed standing in a crowd of rioters near a Capitol entrance, filming U.S. Capitol police officers with a mobile cellular phone,' the charging documents say.
'Eventually, Minuta unlawfully breached the Capitol building itself.'
Isaac Steve Sturgeon, right, is accused of picking up a metal barricade during the riot, pushing it into police guarding the complex and then crawling underneath it to get into the building
Isaac Steve Sturgeon is pictured in photos from his social media accounts
Sturgeon, is a 32-year-old lawn-care business owner from Dillon, Montana
Later, as he exited, he was caught on video shouting to police: 'All that´s left is the Second Amendment!'
Authorities said Sturgeon, the Montana man, was identified through police body camera video and photographs posted to social media.
The FBI said Sturgeon, who owns a lawn care business, traveled to Kenya on Jan. 24 and was deported from that country to New York. He was arrested Saturday at John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Sturgeon told a federal magistrate Monday he 'wasn't trying to flee,' adding he's a frequent traveler.
His defense attorney declined to comment on the charges.
Prosecutors said Sturgeon faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
Meanwhile, Jacob Chansley, the Phoenix man who sported face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns while inside the Capitol during the siege, will remain jailed until trial, a judge in Washington ruled Monday.
U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth explained that Chansley carried a spear into the Capitol, ignored orders from police to leave, used a bullhorn to encourage other rioters and was among the first rioters into the building.
Chansley doesn´t fully appreciate the severity of the charges against him, Lamberth said. The judge said he has no faith that Chansley would follow release conditions.
Jacob Chansley, the Phoenix man who sported face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns while inside the Capitol during the siege, will remain jailed until trial, a judge in Washington ruled on Monday
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