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UPDATE: At Least 13 Texans Charged In The Wake Of The U.S. Capitol Siege

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington.
Julio Cortez
/
AP Photo
Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6.

This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn new information.

Updated 1:33 p.m. CT

Three more Texas residents have been charged in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection, according to court records — marking at least 13 Texans in total.

According to a sworn affidavit, Texan and alt-right personality Nick DeCarlo entered the U.S. Capitol building alongside Nick Ochs, leader of the Hawaiian branch of the Proud Boys.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, DeCarlo said he and Ochs were at the Capitol working as journalists for MT Media — or, "Murder the Media" — a right-wing California-based company.

However, in a nearly hour-long interview with a fellow "Murder the Media" member, DeCarlo told a different story.

"Me and Nick Ochs went there specifically to stop the steal," he said, referring to the unfounded election fraud claims pushed by President Trump. “You’re welcome America,” he later added.

The FBI used images posted on social media by the two men to identify and apprehend them shortly after the insurrection, according to court documents.

Longview resident Ryan Nichols and Carthage resident Alex Harkrider also both allegedly participated in the Capitol insurrection, according to court documents. Both Nichols and Harkrider made several posts on social media during the attack, uploading images featuring the men on Capitol grounds and inside the building itself.

In a video obtained by the FBI, Nichols allegedly sprays what the FBI called pepper spray towards a door guarded by police. In another video obtained by the FBI, Nichols was said to proclaim: "This is the second revolution right here folks!"

The FBI said it used photographic evidence uploaded by the men themselves to identify and charge them for their alleged participation.

According to the FBI, this Jan. 6, 2021 photo attached to a federal affidavit shows Texan Nick DeCarlo, right, alongside his “Murder The Media” partner Nick Ochs at the U.S. Capitol.

Updated 3:04 p.m. CT Tuesday

A Houston police officer and a man from San Antonio are two of the latest to be charged in connection with the U.S. Capitol insurrection, marking at least 10 Texans alleged to be involved.

Eighteen-year HPD veteran and Richmond resident Tam Dinh Pham and San Antonio resident Matthew Carl Mazzocco, 37, were charged Tuesday with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds.

In an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Pham was accused of unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol Building along with throngs of other pro-Trump extremists, marching from the morning’s Donald Trump rally to the Capitol, where he allegedly climbed over knocked-down fences, passed through the barriers and entered the Capitol rotunda.

Images and video screenshots attached to the affidavit appear to show Pham inside carrying a Trump flag

Matthew Carl Mazzocco, 37, of San Antonio was arrested Sunday. Details of his charges were not immediately available Tuesday.

Updated 11:31 a.m. CT Tuesday

Four more Texans have been charged in the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, bringing the total to at least eight across the state.

Daniel Adams; Guy Reffitt, 48; Jenna Ryan, 50; and Troy Smocks, 58, have all been charged since Friday, according to federal court documents.

East Texas resident Adams was arrested in the Houston area after allegedly confronting authorities on Capitol ground with his cousin, Cody Connell, from Louisiana. Video footage recorded by both men showed Adams and Connell in what appears to be a physical altercation with officers on the steps of the Capitol, according to court documents.

Both men allegedly used social media to share their experience at the Capitol, with several posts making their way to the FBI, who said they then used the images to identify the two men.

Reffitt, of Wylie, was seen “at or past the police line protecting” the Capitol building, wearing black body armor, according to court documents. Days later, court documents say Reffitt realized the FBI was watching him, and he became increasingly suspicious of his own family. His family told the FBI that he became more hostile towards them as time went on, going as far as to seemingly threaten his own children, according to the criminal complaint.

"If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors... traitors get shot," Reffitt allegedly told his two children.

He was arrested soon after, while the FBI executed a search warrant at his home.

Ryan, a Realtor from Frisco, flew to D.C. with others aboard a small private plane, according to court documents. Images posted onto Ryan’s social media pages appeared to show her at the Capitol building. During a 21-minute livestream on Facebook, Ryan is allegedly shown entering the Capitol building, saying "y'all know who to hire for your realtor. Jenna Ryan for your realtor," according to court documents.

Days after the insurrection, Ryan defended her alleged participation on several news outlets. After she was arrested by the FBI, she told CBS 11 in Dallas-Fort Worth that she believed President Trump should pardon all who were involved in the riot.

“He asked us to fly there. He asked us to be there. So I was doing what he asked us to do," she said.

Smocks, from Dallas, flew from Texas to D.C. on Jan. 5, according to court documents. He was allegedly an avid user of the now-deactivated social media app Parler, and prosecutors said he used his account on Jan. 6 to post: “many of us will return on January 19th.” He added that those who won’t join on the 19th should “take a few vacation days” during that time, according to court documents.

On Jan. 7, Smocks allegedly posted: “We took the Capital. They have it back now, only because We left. It wasn't the building that We wanted. . . it was them!"

Original story is below:

At least four Texans — including one from the Houston area — are among those being prosecuted for their involvement in the storm on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Joshua Lollar, Larry Brock, Jenny Cudd, and Eliel Rosa are facing federal charges for alleged violent entry into the Capitol, according to federal court documents.

Lollar, from Spring, was accused of storming the Capitol and clashing with police officers after attending the rally by President Donald Trump last week.

The FBI reviewed photos and videos on Lollar's Facebook account, which appeared to show him busting into the building and in a crowd that was trying to push through a line of police officers, according to court documents.

Grapevine resident and Air Force combat veteran Larry Brock was seen inside the capitol building wearing green body armor and carrying zip-tie handcuffs, according to court documents.

After several images of someone appearing to be Brock began to surface online, family members and friends confirmed his identity to the FBI. Brock told the New Yorker that he intended to be peaceful, and wore his body armor because he “didn't want to get stabbed or hurt.” As for the zip-tie handcuffs, Brock said he found them on the ground and had intended to “give them to an officer.”

Jenny Cudd, a former Midland mayoral candidate, and Eliel Rosa, a Midland resident, both entered the Capitol building during the riot, according to court documents.

Once inside, Cudd allegedly helped break down Nancy Pelosi's office door, a detail Cudd confirmed via a livestream on Facebook. During the livestream, Cudd expressed the pride she felt as she participated in the “revolution.”

Security camera footage, photos, and Cudd's own Facebook livestreams allowed the FBI to identify both Cudd and Rosa. Upon questioning, the FBI said Rosa admitted that he and Cudd had entered the U.S. Capitol.

The FBI is also aware of several Houstonians who participated in the Capitol insurrection, HPD Chief Art Acevedo said. That may include a former Houston police officer the chief said was under federal investigation for his alleged involvement.

The 18-year HPD veteran, Tam Dinh Pham, entered the Capitol building to take photos, Acevedo said. After news broke of his alleged involvement in the riot, he was relieved of duty on Wednesday.

He has since resigned.
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