WASHINGTON – In the space of hours on Jan. 6, Richard Michetti sent his ex-girlfriend text messages and videos documenting his experience “storming” the US Capitol, according to court documents. He also texted that she was an “idiot” if she didn’t believe the election had been “stolen.”
She reported him to the police the next day.
The lyrics were this week in new, unsealed charges against Michetti. He was arrested on Tuesday and then released at a home in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, just south of Philadelphia, while his case continues. He is charged with obstructing official Congressional proceedings – a felony – as well as several felonies for unlawful entry into restricted building or grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
The FBI has provided thousands of tips in the weeks since a crowd of hundreds of supporters of now-former President Donald Trump descended on the Capitol as lawmakers gathered to certify the results of the presidential election. Cargo papers reveal that the alleged rioters’ friends, relatives, colleagues, former classmates and yes, exes played a critical role in helping investigators identify and track down suspects.
Michetti’s filing papers detail how his ex gave the FBI everything they needed to build the case against him. In addition to the lyrics and videos, which created a timeline of his alleged involvement in the uprising from start to finish, the ex also provided his date of birth, address, phone number, and other information about his phone.
The ex-girlfriend, who is not mentioned in lawsuits but is identified as a woman, went to the police on January 7. The prosecuting papers do not specify which law enforcement agency she contacted. She then gave a full interview to the FBI on January 11, telling agents that Michetti had gone to Washington because he “believed the election had been stolen from President Trump.”
The text messages she wrote for the FBI begin January 5, with Michetti notifying her that he is boarding the train and will call when he arrives in Washington. At around 2:06 pm on January 6 – shortly after waves of rioters broke past police barricades and entered the building – Michetti texted, “… it’s going down here, we stormed the building they were holding us back with spray and tear gas and paintballs. ”Three minutes later, he sent a text message confirming he had gone to the Capitol to ‘stop the vote, it’s a fraud, this is our country’.
About half an hour later, Michetti’s ex received two videos from him, both of which appeared to show scenes of rioters in the Capitol.
At around 4:26 PM, Michetti texted her, ‘If you can’t tell the election was on
stolen you’re an idiot. He complained about the police using tear gas and pepper spray and said the Capitol was “ public property. ”
The accusatory papers do not say whether the ex responded to any of his messages, but at 6:04 pm Michetti sent texts suggesting she had done something he said.
‘I get your point, but what I mean is [W1’s name] the election was faked and everyone knows it. All we wanted was an investigation, that’s it, ” he wrote, followed by more posts reiterating the lies of former President Donald Trump and his post-election supporter that the expansion of email voting during the pandemic was widespread. fraud.
FBI agents showed Michetti’s ex a photo of a crowd of people standing outside the Capitol, and identified him as a man wearing a dark baseball hat with a Chicago White Sox logo and a backpack with bright blue straps. A blue mask is pulled down from under his chin, revealing his face, and he appears to be looking at a phone. The accusing papers show how the FBI subsequently identified him in CCTV footage from the Capitol by matching the clothes he was wearing outside. The FBI also received a receipt from a hotel near the Capitol, where Michetti checked in on Jan. 5 and checked out the next day.
Michetti’s attorney did not immediately answer a request for comment. He will appear in court on March 1. It is unlikely that he will send any more text messages to his ex in the meantime. One of his conditions for release is that he cannot contact “potential witnesses” while his case is pending.