A Florida man knew he was wanted by authorities for being at the US Capitol riots but returned to Washington, DC, to attend the inauguration, the Justice Department said in a court filing Thursday.
Samuel Camargo, 26, was arrested Wednesday in Washington, prosecutors said. The name of Camargo’s attorney wasn’t immediately available Thursday. He has not yet formally entered a plea.
Camargo faces four charges related to the January 6 riots that include civil disorder; knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds; and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to the criminal complaint.
Camargo appeared Thursday in DC District Court, where a judge ordered he stay detained as he awaits trial. The judge agreed with the Justice Department that Camargo was a flight risk.
“Frankly this country is very large and there are many different places a defendant could hide within it,” US Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said at the hearing.
Washington prosecutors wrote in a court filing Thursday that Camargo was seen in video at one of the doorways of the Capitol on January 6 “using his mobile phone to video tape his struggle with the U.S. Capitol Police over opening a door to the U.S. Capitol Building.”
Camargo later apologized on social media for his actions that day “while at the Capitol in D.C.,” prosecutors wrote.
On January 7, when contacted by an FBI agent about his actions, Camargo admitted he was in Washington the day of the riot and returned to his home in Broward County, Florida.
“Then he became uncooperative and questioned the agent’s loyalty to the constitution before saying he had no more information to provide,” prosecutors wrote. “Following this interview, the defendant then posted on social media ‘Just finished speaking to an FBI agent, I believe I’ve been cleared.’”
Authorities tried to arrest Camargo on Tuesday at his home in Florida, but he was gone, prosecutors said. He was found the next day in Washington.
Camargo told investigators after his arrest that he knew he was wanted by the Justice Department in connection with his actions at the Capitol and “decided that he should attempt to attend the Inauguration rather than turn himself into authorities,” prosecutors wrote in the court filing on Thursday.
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