Bradenton, Florida man arrested, indicted for alleged Jan. 6 Capitol riot role
A Bradenton man has been arrested and indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from his alleged role in the United States Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 62-year-old Tom Vournas, known as “El Greco,” on Thursday in Florida. Leonard “The Riddler” Lobianco, 52, of North Port, was also arrested.
They are alleged to have disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress that convened to count electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.
Vournas was charged with the following felonies:
- civil disorder
- obstruction of an official proceeding
- assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon
- entering and remaining in a restricting building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
- disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or ground with a deadly or dangerous weapon and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon
Vournas also was charged with the following misdemeanors:
disorderly conduct in a Capitol building
acts of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings
parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building
Lobianco was charged with a civil disorder felony and the following misdemeanors: entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
The two are scheduled to make an initial appearance in the Middle District of Florida.
They are alleged to have committed and attempted to commit an act aimed at impeding law enforcement officers from performing their official duties during a civil disorder event, according to the indictment.
The indictment said Vournas “is alleged to have used a chemical irritant to assault law enforcement officers on the Capitol grounds and allegedly brought the weapon inside the Capitol building.”
Attorney Maribeth L. Wetzel, who court documents indicate is Vournas’ lawyer, said “no comment” when asked if she had a statement to share on behalf of her client Friday afternoon.
According to the local Supervisor of Elections Office, Vournas is a registered Republican in Manatee County. In 2020, he made a $15 cash donation to the local Trump Committee, according to campaign finance records.
To date, more than 1,230 individuals in almost all 50 states have been charged for crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol and the investigation remains ongoing, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
Other Bradenton men charged in Jan. 6 riot
Vournas is the fourth person with ties to the Bradenton area arrested in connection with Jan. 6 events.
Others include:
- Adam Johnson, of Parrish, who took a plea deal and served 75 days in prison. A viral image of him carrying Nancy Pelosi’s lectern made him one of the most recognized Capitol rioters.
- Daniel Lyons Scott, who identified as a Bradenton resident at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to five years in prison. He pled guilty to felony charges, including assault, and went by the nickname “Milkshake” as a member of far-right extremist group, the Proud Boys.
- John Anthony Schubert III was arrested in Bradenton in October for “felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers,” as well as several misdemeanors related to the Jan. 6 riot. Schubert’s parents, Amy and John Schubert Jr., of Crest Hill, Illinois, were previously arrested, convicted and sentenced for their role in the insurrection.
This story was originally published January 5, 2024 at 12:15 PM.
