Far-right media personality 'Baked Alaska' is arrested by the FBI in Houston after MAGA mob riot where he posted video online inside the Capitol
The far-right social media personality known as 'Baked Alaska', 33, has been arrested by the FBI over his involvement in the MAGA mob riot after he posted a video online showing himself inside the Capitol.
Tim Gionet, who has often pushed neo-Nazi conspiracy theories online, was arrested by federal agents in Houston, Texas, Friday on two charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Gionet livestreamed footage of himself among other Donald Trump supporters inside the seat of American democracy after the mob invaded the building and sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives.
His arrest on federal charges comes after an arrest warrant was also issued by a Scottsdale judge Thursday saying Gionet had violated conditions of his release by traveling from Arizona to Washington DC to take part in the deadly siege on the Capitol that left five dead.
He was out on bail on assault charges for allegedly pepper-spraying a bar worker.
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The far-right social media personality known as 'Baked Alaska' has been arrested by the FBI over his involvement in the MAGA mob riot after he posted a video online showing himself inside the Capitol
Federal prosecutors said in a court filing that Gionet had recorded a 27-minute live video of himself inside the Capitol where he chanted 'Patriots are in control', 'Whose house? Our house' and 'Traitors, traitors, traitors.'
He livestreamed the footage on blockchain service DLive which has become a hive for right-wing fanatics.
In the video Trump supporters in 'Make America Great Again' and 'God Bless Trump' hats are seen milling around and taking selfies with cops inside the Capitol as the officers calmly ask them to leave the premises.
The Trump supporters talk among themselves, laugh, and tell the officers and each other: 'This is only the beginning.'
Gionet says, 'We are in the Capitol building, 1776 will commence again' - the year of America's independence.
Later in the footage he is heard telling other rioters not to leave the building, the documents say.
At another point in the video, Gionet appears to be in one of the offices in the Capitol and films himself pretending to call the US Senate.
He turns his device around to his clearly show his own face inside the building and picks up a phone from the desk.
'I can call the US Senate apparently,' he shouts.
'Hello US Senate - we have a fraudulent election we would like to report,' he said, as he repeats Trump's unfounded claims of voter fraud despite dozens of lawsuits and probes finding no evidence to support this.
'We need to get our boy Donald J. Trump into office. Yeah can we do that real quick?' he says, pretending someone is on the line as fellow mob members laugh.
Tim Gionet , has often pushed neo-Nazi conspiracy theories online, was arrested by federal agents in Houston, Texas, Friday on two federal charges
Federal prosecutors said in a court filing (part of which is above) that Gionet had recorded a 27-minute live video of himself inside the Capitol
When told to leave by law enforcement about 25 minutes into the footage, prosecutors write that Gionet first tells them he is part of the media before he verbally abuses a police officer calling them 'a f**king oathbreaker you piece of s**t.'
At the time of the riot, Gionet was out on release on misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass over an incident where he is accused of refusing to leave a Scottsdale bar and then pepper spraying a bar worker.
Terms of his release included an agreement that he would not leave the state, reported AZCentral.
Prosecutors filed a motion to revoke his release on bail after Gionet streamed the footage of himself at the Capitol - evidence, they said, that he had broken the terms and left the state to head to DC.
As well as footage inside the Capitol, Gionet had also livestreamed footage of himself interviewing people in the street the night before the deadly riot.
Gionet then failed to attend a scheduled court hearing on the Arizona charges and his attorney Zach Thornley was unable to reach him on the phone.
Gionet livestreamed footage of himself among other Donald Trump supporters inside the seat of American democracy after the mob invaded the building and sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives
As well as footage inside the Capitol, Gionet had also livestreamed footage of himself interviewing people in the street the night before the deadly riot
Scottsdale Judge James Blake issued a warrant for his arrest.
Gionet, whose full name is Anthime Joseph Gionet, is known for pushing his white supremacist, neo-Nazi and anti-Semitic views and has been banned from Twitter and YouTube.
Gionet used to work for Buzzfeed News and support Black Lives Matter before his views turned increasingly right-wing.
Thousands of supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on January 6 as Congress was meeting to vote to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's electoral win.
Lawmakers were forced to go into hiding for several hours as Capitol police grappled to take back control while the mob defecated in the Senate and House, invaded Nancy Pelosi's office and looted items potentially including state secrets.
Five people were killed in the violent riot including a police officer who was hit over the head with a fire extinguisher by a rioter.
Law enforcement officials across the country have been working to locate and arrest suspects who committed federal crimes and so far have brought nearly 100 cases in federal court and the District of Columbia Superior Court.
Donald Trump was impeached for the second time this week after House lawmakers voted that he had 'incited the riot'.
Trump supporters storming the Capitol on January 6 during the violent siege
Trump supporters storming the Capitol last week in a riot that left five dead