Brooklyn Men Busted For Storming Capitol On Jan 6, Feds Say

New York City NY

01 September, 2021

1:00 PM

Description

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Feds busted two Brooklynites caught on live-stream storming the Capitol and the office of a U.S. senator on Jan. 6, court records show. Francis Connor, 23, and Antonio Ferrigno, 26, were arrested in Brooklyn Tuesday after FBI agents found text messages, social media and security footage linking them to the insurrection, according to federal court documents. Evidence includes text messages to and from accused riot attendee and Midwood man Anton Lunyk, according to the 13-page complaint filed in District of Columbia's federal court. "You idiots led the way into the capitol," Lunyk texted Connor and Ferrigno. "This is insane." "WE WERE FORCED INTO THE CAPITOL," Ferrigno replied. He later denied participation, adding, "I wasn't in the capitol so idc." FBI evidence also includes live-stream video — taken by alt-right personality Anthime "Baked Alaska" Gionet — which shows both men inside the building and the office of an unidentified senator, the suit contends. Connor and Ferrigno face charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct for their participation in the riot that delayed the Senate's certification of the election of President elect Joe Biden, federal documents show. Security footage taken inside the Capitol on Jan. 6 shows Francis Connor and Antonio Ferrigno participating in the insurrection, federal investigators contend. (Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.) The two men are the most recent additions to a growing list of Brooklynites arrested for alleged participation in the rights. One Brooklyn man was arrested after tipster sent Facebook photos of the insurrection to the FBI and a second was found with the help of a viral meme, court documents show. Five people died during the insurrection including U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, whom two men allegedly attacked with bear spray, and rioter Ashli Babbitt, who was shot as she climbed through a broken window into the House of Representatives. Former president Donald Trump has since praised rioters who overran barricades, assaulted police officers and sent lawmakers running in fear of their lives. "These were peaceful people," Trump said in a Fox News interview. "These were great people."