Here’s a glimpse at one way the feds are putting together the puzzle pieces of 1/6 and identifying members of the crowd the surged into the Capitol.
A local Republican district leader from Queens, New York, accused of participating in the riots at the U.S. Capitol last month, was charged by federal authorities on Monday.
Philip Grillo, 46, a Republican district leader for Assembly District 24 who uses the name “The Republican Messiah” on Facebook, was arrested Tuesday at his girlfriend’s home in Glen Oaks, New York, the Queens Daily Eagle reported. Grillo’s Facebook page also touts District 24 as “President Trump’s Hometown District.” Indeed, the Queens Daily Eagle twice noted that a certain Queens man had been impeached.
According to the criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., authorities were able to identify Grillo based on cell phone and security camera footage showing him inside the Capitol Building wearing a Knights of Columbus jacket that included the specific St. Anne’s Council #2429 chapter to which he belonged.
Two anonymous witnesses who grew up with Grillo contacted the FBI and reported seeing him on television broadcasts of the riots. One of those witnesses noted that he was also a member of the local Knights of Columbus chapter, which proved key to confirming Grillo’s identity.
“GRILLO can be seen wearing a Knights of Columbus, St. Anne’s Council #2429, Glen Oaks, New York embroidered jacket,” the criminal complaint stated. “The FBI conducted an open-records check of GRILLO and confirmed GRILLO to be a member of the Knights of Columbus chapter, matching the jacket’s description. Additionally, as stated above, WITNESS 2 reported to the agent s/he met with that GRILLO was a member of the Knights of Columbus.”
The complaint and charges can be found here.
