That's gotta sting! Woman reveals how she disguised herself as MAGA supporter on dating app Bumble to reel in 'January 6 rioter who bragged of plans to disrupt Biden inauguration' and help prosecute him
A liberal woman has told of how she disguised herself as a MAGA supporter on dating app Bumble to reel in a suspected Capitol rioter.
The woman, named only as Claire, says she reinstalled the app after a lengthy hiatus on realizing she could help the FBI to catch the troublemakers.
She told Huffington Post how she deleted a photo of herself wearing a vagina hat at a feminist march, uploaded a generic looking shot of herself on a boat, and changed her political affiliation to 'conservative.'
Claire then managed to reel in Andrew Quentin Taake, 32, who sent her a photo of himself allegedly rioting, and is said to have bragged of being pepper sprayed during the violence at the Capitol.
Recalling what prompted the unusual sting operation, Claire said 'I was watching on the news and seeing everyone walk back.
'It felt kind of useless for me to be that close and not kind of do anything proactive about it.'
She said it was an appeal from then President-elect Biden to help catch rioters that spurred her on.
'OK, fine,' Claire thought. 'I will.'
She quickly took to Bumble, which allows female users to make the first move and initiate conversations, after spurning dating apps because of COVID-19.
Eventually, she matched with Taake, who's profile said he was just eight miles away in Alexandria, Virginia.
A Bumble match shared these screenshots with the FBI, showing him sending a selfie from the Capitol riot and boasting that he had just been pepper sprayed
The FBI says that footage captured Taake wielding a whip during the riot and using it to attack Capitol police officers
A criminal complaint details the charges against Taake in connection with the riot
After exchanging enough initial pleasantries for Taake to let his guard down, despite what 'Claire' deemed 'comically minimal ego-stroking,' she began probing him and for information upon learning he was at the nation's Capitol.
'Were you near all the action?' she asked.
'Yes,' he responded, while adding he was there to prevent 'agitators' and people who 'were clearly antifa.'
'From the very beginning.' Many rioters claim Antifa - a far left group known for its violent behavior - were actually behind the riot, and disguised themselves as Trump fans to cause trouble, although there is no evidence that this happened.
'Claire' even managed to get Taake to send a picture of himself amidst the rioters right before he was 'pepper sprayed' by a police officer, he told her.
He is also said to have hinted of his desire to cause further trouble ahead of the Biden inauguration, saying: 'There is too much criminal stuff to come out. There are many many willing Patriots ready and willing to head back (to DC) depending on what happens.'
Once she felt confident she was communicating with a Capitol rioter, she culled his Bumble profile for any identifying information, where she discovered the name of the business he co-owns and eventually his Facebook profile.
She took Taake's name and profiles, along with three other MAGA Capitol rioters who she had communicated with, and passed them along to the FBI.
'I basically just asked, ‘Wow, crazy, tell me more’ on repeat until they gave me enough,' she told HuffPost. 'One of my friends was like, ’You basically got all these confessions just being, like, ‘Haha! Then what?’'
Three months later, a special agent contacted her to ask her more information. Then by six months after their initial Bumble exchange, Taake was formally arrested.
Investigators said Taake, 32, whipped and pepper sprayed Capitol Police officers during the riot on January 6.
Yet even as Taake took part in storming the Capitol, he was actively trying to woo a love interest on Bumble, sending selfies of himself joining the mob, according to a criminal complaint.
Taake never met up with his Bumble match in person, and just days later, on January 9, the match came forward to the FBI, providing incriminating screenshots to investigators.
The screenshots included a selfie that Taake sent, which he said had been taken 'about 30 minutes' after being pepper sprayed, according to the complaint.
Though Bumble profiles only display first names, Taake's identified him as the owner of Hi-Flow Houston, a power washing service, allowing the FBI to quickly zero in on his true identity.
Investigators discovered a number of public videos and Capitol surveillance that appear to show Taake taking part in the riot and illegally entering the Capitol.
One image included in the complaint appears to show Taake spraying Capitol cops in the face with pepper spray.
In other footage, Taake can be seen wielding a whip-like weapon and using it to attack Capitol cops before retreating back into the crowd, according to the complaint.
Surveillance footage of the Capitol shows Taake wandering the halls of the building carrying the whip, according to the FBI.
One image included in the complaint appears to show Taake spraying Capitol cops in the face with pepper spray
In other footage, Taake can be seen wielding a whip-like weapon and using it to attack Capitol cops before retreating back into the crowd, the FBI said
The FBI says that this bodycam footage shows Taake participating in the riot
The FBI was also able to confirm that Taake took a Spirit Airlines flight from Houston to Baltimore/Washington International Airport on January 5, before returning to Texas on January 8, according to the complaint.
Cell phone tower records also placed him in the area of the Capitol during the riot, the FBI said.
FBI agents interviewed Taake at his Houston home and say that they were able to positively identify him as the man seen in the incriminating footage from the Capitol.
Taake is charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, obstruction of an official proceeding and is also facing several other federal charges.
He made his first court appearance on Friday and is being held in federal custody. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Taake is seen in this surveillance footage entering the Capitol on January 6, the FBI says
Taake was seen wandering the Capitol holding his whip weapon, according to the FBI
Taake brazenly carried his whip through the halls of Congress, the FBI said
It is not the first time Bumble has been used to bust a Capitol rioter.
In April, Robert Chapman of New York told one of his Bumble matches that he 'did storm the Capitol' and said that he 'made it all the way into Statuary Hall.'
The other Bumble user replied, 'we are not a match' and quickly notified the FBI.
Chapman was arrested and charged with entering restricted buildings and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and is next due in court on September 10.
For a time following the riot, Bumble disabled the ability to search for matches by political affiliation, after reports that some users were attempting to catfish conservatives and get them to incriminate themselves in the riot.
More than 535 people have been arrested In relation to the Capitol breach, including at least 165 who are charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The investigation continues.