A New Jersey man, a US Navy contractor with “secret” security clearance, has been accused of participating in the riot at the Capitol, federal authorities said.
Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli, 30 – described as a “recognized white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer” in court documents – reportedly told other pro-Trump rioters to “move forward” during the January 6 deadly siege.
He was charged Friday with five federal counts, including: knowingly entering or remaining in a confined building without legal authority; disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds; disrupting the orderly affairs of the government; parade, demonstrate, or picket in a Capitol; and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
Hale-Cusanelli, a US Army reservist, works at the Earle Naval Weapons Station in Colts Neck, where he has access to “a variety of ammunition,” according to an affidavit filed in the US District Court in Washington, DC. .
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service began investigating Hale-Cusanelli after she got a tip from an informant who said the Colts Neck man confessed to breaking into the Capitol.
Hale-Cusanelli reportedly showed informants videos of himself “making intimidating and derogatory statements to Capitol Police officers both inside and outside the Capitol,” the affidavit said.
In a taped conversation with the informant on Thursday, Hale-Cusanelli admitted that he had encouraged other members of the mob to “go ahead – by giving directions by both voice and hand signals,” court documents claim.
He said that “if they had more men, they could have taken over the entire building,” the affidavit said.
Hale-Cusanelli had also reportedly admitted to taking a flag and flagpole that he saw another rioters throw “like a spear” at a Capitol Police officer.
He said he wanted to get rid of the flag and flagpole as soon as possible and described it as a “murder weapon,” the affidavit said.
The informant described Hale-Cusanelli as a white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer known for “offering extreme political views and views,” on a YouTube channel called the “Based Hermes Show” and other online forums.
Prior to his trip to the rally and protest on January 6, 2021, Hale-Cusanelli wrote ‘Trust the plan, it’s the final countdown, stay tuned next episode’, and ‘Trust the plan, big announcement coming soon’ ‘, the court said.
Hale-Cusanelli was arrested on Friday. It was unclear whether he had a lawyer on Sunday.
According to an Associated Press review, at least 22 current or former members of the US military or police have been identified as being on or near the riot.