The FBI keeps making more arrests in the Capitol riot. Here are some Florida suspects
As more rioters from the attack on the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 get arrested, a clearer picture is emerging of who was there that day. At least a handful of Florida residents have been tracked down, thanks in part to video and images widely circulated on social media.
ANDREW WILLIAMS
At least one Floridian was a first responder: Andrew Williams, who was at first put on paid administrative leave by his employer, the Sanford Fire Department, and then unpaid leave. Williams was arrested Tuesday, charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.
According to the criminal complaint, the FBI obtained one photograph and two videos of the Maitland, Florida, man. In one video, he is seen climbing the steps and through the scaffolding of the federal building yelling, “We are storming the Capitol! Yeah, baby!”
At a Tuesday hearing, bond was set at $25,000; meanwhile, Williams’ lawyer blamed President Donald Trump as well as law enforcement.
“The president and the Capitol police encouraged despicable behavior,” Vincent Citro said outside the Orlando courthouse. “Mr. Williams took part in none of it.”
ERIC MUNCHEL
Among the disturbing pictures that emerged during the riots was of a fit, masked man in full tactical gear nimbly jumping over a railing in the Senate chamber with a handful of zip ties.
The FBI identified the so-called zip-tie guy as 30-year-old Eric Munchel, who now lives in Tennessee but used to work as a bartender at Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille in Fort Myers Beach.
“It’s been brought to our attention that a former employee of ours from 2+ years ago was involved in the recent events at the Capitol Building,” the restaurant’s statement on Facebook said. “We have no affiliation with this employee and their actions were their own.”
Munchel was charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Bond: $25,000.
Adam Christian Johnson
His grinning face seen while holding Nancy Pelosi’s lectern has become almost a symbol of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Adam Christian Johnson, 36, was arrested by federal marshals and booked into the Pinellas County jail on Jan. 8, charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; one count of theft of government property; and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
The lectern — valued at more than $1,000 — has since been returned to its rightful owner. As for Johnson, the stay at home father of five from Parrish was released on $25,000 bond with an ankle monitor.
Other arrests
According to federal court records, other arrests of Sunshine State residents include Michael Curzio, of Summerfield, in Marion County, who was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; or knowingly, with intent to impede government business or official functions, engaging in disorderly conduct; and violent entry and disorderly conduct.
According to the Florida Department of Corrections, the 35-year-old spent more than five years in prison for attempted murder before being released in February 2019.
Before his arrest, Curzio admitted where he was going on Facebook, reports Orlando news station WFTV-9: “If anything happens — we get [expletive] up, arrested, or killed — just know I love you all and I did what I believed in,” he wrote on his since deleted page. “And if you know me, I did it because it was the right thing to do.”
Tampa Bay’s Matthew Council, who beside being charged with the same offenses as Curzio, was slapped with an additional charge of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. “When stopped by law enforcement, he pushed the officer,” read the complaint.
Joseph Randall Biggs, 37, of Central Florida was arrested on January 20 on charges of impeding an official proceeding before Congress, knowingly entering a restricted building, willfully engaging in disorderly conduct at the Capitol Building. He is a member of the Proud Boys, according to the criminal complaint, and encouraged other members of the group to attend the event on January 6.
More arrests are expected.
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 12:08 PM with the headline "The FBI keeps making more arrests in the Capitol riot. Here are some Florida suspects."
