New Federal Charges for Fort Pierce man who took part in Capital Riot
Fort Pierce, Fl (treasurecoast.com) – A Fort Pierce man accused of taking a selfie in the Senate Chamber last month as part of a riotous mob inside the U.S. Capitol is facing new federal charges, court records show.
Anthony “Tony” Mariotto, 52, who was arrested Jan. 21 on two counts related to the unlawful entry of a restricted building, faces three additional charges for criminal acts committed inside the Senate Chamber, according to a Feb. 8 court filing in the District of Columbia.
The additional charges filed against Mariotto include entering and remaining in the Gallery of Congress; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building.
During his arrest Jan. 21, he was charged with “knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority,” and “violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.”
Reached Wednesday, Mariotto’s attorney Edward “Ned” Reagan, said the government’s “violent entry” accusation included in the original criminal complaint doesn’t appear in the five-count charging document called an information filed Monday.
According to a criminal complaint, on Jan. 16, Mariotto told an FBI agent he’d been in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 with his wife and had listened to President Donald Trump’s speech. Afterward, “he gathered with the crowd outside the Capitol.”
“Mariotto claimed he thought he ‘was being part of history,’ and told the special agent that he walked through the Capitol chanting ‘USA.’”
The FBI got a tip the same day that Mariotto was in the Capitol. The tipster reported knowing Mariotto for more than a year and following him on Facebook.
The tipster reported seeing photos on Mariotto’s Facebook page of Mariotto in the Capitol.
During a virtual hearing Jan. 29, U.S. Magistrate Judge G. Michael Harvey ordered Mariotto to remain free on his own recognizance after federal prosecutors stated they would not seek his detention. Mariotto also waived his right to a speedy trial, records show.
He’d initially been freed on a $250,000 bond ordered last month by a federal judge in Fort Pierce.
Mariotto was further ordered not to possess illegal firearms and to stay out of Washington, DC except for court appearances or meetings with attorneys or probation officials.
His next court date is March 30.
