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Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Riot: 76 Floridians Charged In Breach So Far

Floridians at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 included a Michael Jackson impersonator, an opera singer, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and GOP candidates.

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Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Former Republican Party candidates. A Michael Jackson impersonator. An opera singer. A Messianic rabbi. A Full Sail University music student.

These are just a few of the Floridians who federal prosecutors said participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

Thursday marks the one-year anniversary since the pro-Trump m

(Win McNamee/Getty Images)

ob, protesting Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election, stormed the building to disrupt a joint session of U.S. Congress that was counting and affirming electoral votes.

In the past year, more than 700 people have been charged with crimes related to the breach of the building, with at least 76 of them from Florida — more than any other state — according to George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

Below are details of some of the more memorable Florida arrests related to the Jan. 6 riot.

James Beek

This 49-year-old, Orlando-based Broadway actor and Michael Jackson impersonator was arrested for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach while touring with "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the end of November.

He joined the Oath Keepers to storm the Capitol building. Authorities identified him by his Michael Jackson "Bad" world tour jacket.

Joseph Biggs

This Proud Boys organizer from Ormond Beach was arrested last January for his involvement in the Capitol riot.

Charges say the 37-year-old was among the first rioters to illegally enter the building, reports said. He entered through a door that was opened by a small group that got in by breaking a window.

The FBI had videos of Biggs in the building during the riots, reports said. When asked by someone what he thought about the storming of the building, Biggs responded, "This is awesome!"

Jeremy Brown

This Oath Keeper and former Green Beret living in Tampa was arrested in October and charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot. He also previously ran for Florida's 14th Congressional U.S. House District as a Republican in 2020, but withdrew before the primary.

Federal prosecutors said a series of surveillance videos show Brown entering the Capitol in full tactical gear. Additionally, they said, Brown emailed others about his plans to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 and urged them to prepare with weapons.

During a search of his home, the FBI said it found several unregistered high-powered weapons, including two grenades, more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition, a short-barrel rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. He's also facing federal firearms charges.

Samuel Camargo

This Deerfield Beach man was arrested for his participation in storming the Capitol after returning to Washington, D.C., for Biden's inauguration last January.

Camargo shared photos and videos of himself participating in the Capitol rally and riot to Instagram and Facebook, according to DOJ documents from the case. He was identified by a former classmate. In one video, he said that he "got some memorabilia, did it myself."

A video clip also shows a man who the DOJ believes is Camargo in the building using his cell phone to record his struggle with U.S. Capitol Police over opening a door.

After the riot, he posted an apology on social media.

Mason Joel Courson

This 26-year-old from Tamarac was arrested in December and accused of being part of a group that beat a Metropolitan police officer Jan. 6.

The group was armed with a baton, flagpole and crutch during the assault, the DOJ said.

Robert Flynt Fairchild Jr.

This 40-year-old Orlando man was seen on video attempting to enter and entering the Capitol building.

According to Metropolitan police body-worn camera footage, Fairchild was seen on video grabbing a security gate and attempting to remove it from an officer's control. Later, Fairchild was seen pushing with the crowd against the barriers, causing officers to use their batons and hands to fight back.

He used his body to push the barriers into the line of officers, and minutes later helped the crowd carry away a barrier removed from the police line. He was also seen walking through the Senate wing door.

Gabriel Garcia

This member of the Miami Proud Boys, who also ran as a Republican to represent District 116 in the Florida House in 2020, was arrested last January.

The 40-year-old uploaded a series of videos of himself inside the Capitol during the siege to Facebook.

In one video he said, "We just went ahead and stormed the Capitol. It's about to get ugly."

In a reference to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, another video shows Garcia yelling, "Nancy, come out and play!"

Paul Allard Hodgkins

This Tampa man was the first to be sentenced for his role in the Capitol breach. In July, he was sentenced to eight months in prison, which will be followed by 24 months of supervised release.

Hodgkins was identified after the FBI released a video showing him wearing a Trump 2020 T-shirt with an American flag over his shoulder and eye goggles around his neck. He took a selfie with other rioters on the dais in the Senate chamber.

Adam Johnson

Better known as "Lectern Guy," this Parrish resident was photographed smiling as he carried U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's lectern during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. The image went viral.

The lectern was later found in the Red corridor of the Capitol's Senate wing.

He pleaded guilty to multiple charges in November and told the court he is thinking about writing a book about his experiences.

Nicholas Lentz

This former North Miami Beach police officer was arrested last January for breaching the Capitol. He shared a live video to his Facebook page from inside the building, which he later deleted.

"America has spoken," Lenz said in the video.

The former Marine added, "You cannot stop millions of people, you cannot stop it. You can't. It's impossible. America has a voice, we give them the power, we give the power, the people give the power. And we're here to take it back."

David Moerschel

This 43-year-old Tampa man was arrested in August and charged with conspiring with the Oath Keepers to plan the siege on the Capitol building.

According to the indictment, Moerschel is accused of planning and participating in an operation to interfere with the certification of the electoral college vote by coordinating the breach of the Capitol using websites and social media to recruit participants and traveling to Washington, D.C., with paramilitary gear and supplies including firearms, tactical vests with plates, helmets and radio equipment.

He attended planning meetings ahead of Jan. 6, including a GoToMeeting titled "florida dc op planning chat" on Dec. 31 and "dc planning call" on Jan. 3.

Grady Owens

This Winter Park 21-year-old, a student at Full Sail University, was indicted in April for assaulting a Metropolitan police officer with a skateboard during the Capitol riot.

According to court documents, a Metropolitan police officer responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and was struck in the head with a skateboard by a man later identified as Owens, the DOJ said. Owens appears in body worn camera footage that shows him using the skateboard to assault the officer, causing a concussion and finger injury.

Robert Palmer

This 54-year-old Largo man was arrested in March and pleaded guilty to throwing a plank and a fire extinguisher at officers during the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol.

In December, Palmer was sentenced to 63 months in prison, according to the DOJ.

Paul Rae

The U.S. Attorney's Office said this Seminole man participated in the Capitol breach as an associate of the far-right nationalist group Proud Boys. The group has been accused of removing metal barriers to storm the building.

Rae was among a group that entered the building after another Proud Boy smashed a window and opened a door.

Audrey Ann Southard

This Spring Hill opera singer, vocal coach and piano teacher was arrested in June in connection to the Jan. 6 riot, according to the Tampa Bay Times. She shared Facebook and Twitter posts outside the Capitol building.

"Standing in front of the Capitol ready to take it," she reportedly said in one post. "As soon as we get enough people up here. To run the Capitol building. It's going to be fun."

A Capitol police officer said Southard confronted him when he tried to keep the crowd out of the building and that she used a flagpole to push him back into a set of doors, according to the Times.

Michael Stepakoff

This Messianic rabbi was charged at the end of last January for participating in the storming of the Capitol.

Stepakoff leads Temple New Jerusalem, a Messianic synagogue in Palm Harbor. He is also a former attorney.

He was identified in two closed-circuit video images entering the building with the mob and standing in the Capitol taking photos with a cell phone.

Jody Tagaris

This former candidate for the Palm Beach County Commission and South Florida GOP activist has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot.

The FBI received an anonymous tip about Tagaris, including a picture of her at the Capitol taken from her Facebook page.

In the picture, she wears a Make America Great Again hat, an American flag scarf, a U.S. Olympics American flag jacket and a mask and is posed in a frame of a broken window next to the Senate wing door at the Capitol. She was identified in the image by a coworker.

Graydon Young

This Englewood man stormed the Capitol with a group of Florida Oath Keepers, a far-right, anti-government military organization.

Young's defense attorney later argued in court that he "had been duped by an organization he didn't fully understand." The lawyer also said his client endured "psychological burdens" in jail after his arrest and sought his release.

Here's a more extensive list of Floridians arrested in connection to Jan. 6 (their full list of charges can be found on the Department of Justice website and the GWU website):

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