FBI agents last week raided the North Hollywood home of an actor seen in social media videos inside the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6.
Laura Eimiller, a spokeswoman for the FBI, confirmed that agents searched the home of Siaka Massaquoi in the early morning hours of Thursday, June 10. She said no one was arrested.
Why the FBI raided Massaquoi’s home was unclear Sunday — a search warrant filed in advance of the raid was under seal, and the agency declined to comment about the investigation.
But months after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump, some of those who broadcasted themselves while inside the building or who were seen in livestreams are suddenly finding themselves under increased scrutiny from federal law enforcement.
“I did nothing wrong on the 6th,” Massaquoi said in a video on Instagram hours after the raid. “They can paint something as wrong, but I did nothing violent.”
Massaquoi appeared in the video along with another man, Brian Burks, who was present for the raid.
Both described around 20 FBI agents clad in riot gear and armed with rifles who knocked on their door at around 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Massaquoi can be seen in a video posted the day of the Capitol attack by Tim Gionet, a far-right activist arrested after he was seen lounging in Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s office. The video shows Massaquoi just inside a door to the Capitol with his phone out, recording the crowd of rioters facing off with a line of police in riot gear.
In Thursday’s Instagram video, Burks said he did not go to the Capitol. He said FBI officials during the raid told him and Massaquoi that they were investigating them for associating with members of a social media group.
“It’s by association,” Burks said “That’s literally where we’re at … You don’t even have to be guilty of something, but if by chance you know somebody, you’re guilty of something because of them.”
“If you’re in a group with them on a social media app,” Massaquoi said.
Other Southern California residents, including former La Habra police chief Alan Hostetter, were recently charged in the Capitol riot with conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and unlawful entry on a restricted building or grounds. In the indictment filed last week against Hostetter and others, a grand jury said Hostetter, a San Clemente resident, communicated with his followers in encrypted messages on Telegram, a social media app.
Massaquoi has not responded to questions from a reporter about the raid on his home. Burks also did not respond to several requests for comment.
A woman at a cell phone number tied to him in public records hung up when asked if Burks was available to talk about it.
Massaquoi has appeared in bit parts on television shows like “Ratched,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” and “S.W.A.T.”
His Instagram account shows he took part in an anti-vaccine rally near the entrance to the COVID-19 vaccination site at Dodgers Stadium in Chavez Ravine on Jan. 30. The protest led the Los Angeles Fire Department to briefly close the gates at the stadium entrance, but LAPD Chief Michel Moore said no one waiting in line was delayed for their vaccination appointments.
Massaquoi also appeared at a protest in support of Tinhorn Flats Saloon & Grill, a bar that refused to shut down at the time of an L.A. County-wide lockdown in December during a COVID-19 surge, leading to a back-and-forth legal feud between the bar owners and the city of Burbank.
"Hollywood" - Google News
June 14, 2021 at 07:50AM
https://ift.tt/3gzJjJ9
FBI raids North Hollywood home of actor seen at Capitol riot - LA Daily News
"Hollywood" - Google News
https://ift.tt/38iWBEK
https://ift.tt/3fdiOHW
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "FBI raids North Hollywood home of actor seen at Capitol riot - LA Daily News"
Post a Comment