Two Western Pa. men charged in Capitol riot
Two Western Pennsylvania men have been charged in connection with the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, and one of them is accused of shattering a window with a baseball bat.
Matthew Perna of Sharon, Mercer County, and the accused bat-wielder, Jorden Mink of South Fayette, appeared briefly on Tuesday for initial appearance hearings by video in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh.
Both are charged federally in the District of Columbia and will be prosecuted there along with dozens of other accused rioters.
Mr. Mink is charged with unlawful entry on restricted building or grounds while carrying a weapon (the baseball bat); unlawful
injury to property on Capitol grounds; violent entry, disorderly conduct and physical violence on Capitol grounds; destruction of government property; theft
of government property; and aiding and abetting.
Mr. Perna is charged with
entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said his office is working with the FBI and his counterpart in the District of Columbia to identify Western Pennsylvania residents who were involved in the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“The charges announced today against Jorden Mink and Matthew Perna are the result of this collaboration,” Mr. Brady said in a statement Tuesday. “Together with our federal, state and local partners, we will ensure that our community is safe from those who would incite or commit further violent acts. Such criminal activity will be met with swift justice.”
According to an FBI affidavit, the bureau’s Pittsburgh office received a tip Friday that Mr. Mink was depicted in images of the riots.
Agents compared known photos of Mr. Mink to videos showing a man wielding a bat to shatter a window at the Capitol. Tattoos on his neck and fingers were consistent with those in other images, the FBI said.
The person matching Mr. Mink’s description is seen entering the Capitol through the broken window and removing chairs and other property and delivering them to people in the crowd outside. Other people are seen handing out property such as a lamp and drawers through the same window.
The man matching Mr. Mink’s description is also seen striking another window repeatedly with the bat, according to the affidavit, in an attempt to shatter it.
On Sunday, FBI agents contacted a witness identified as Person 1, who has known Mr. Mink and had seen him recently. Agents showed him the images of the man with the bat and Person 1 said it was Mr. Mink. Person 1 said Mr. Mink had “made statements affirming his presence at the Capitol and admitting to the destruction of the window with the baseball bat,” the affidavit says.
Person 1 also identified a photo of Mr. Mink’s residence in Oakdale and agents saw Mr. Mink there on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
An FBI review of Mr. Mink’s social media accounts revealed an Instagram account titled “tattedup_badison” and included a photo of Mr. Mink at the Lincoln Memorial dated Jan. 3. Another post from Nov. 3 shows him holding a gun with a sticker saying, “I voted.” The commentary to the post says, “The ballot is stronger than the bullet – Abraham Lincoln. Well ... my magazines will be fully loaded just in case it’s not.”
Mr. Mink, whose first name in some official documents is spelled “Jordan,” has a criminal history that includes guilty pleas to summary offenses including disorderly conduct, trespassing and buying alcohol as a minor, and misdemeanors including driving under the influence, theft and simple assault.
He could not be reached Tuesday.
In the complaint filed against Mr. Perna, the bureau said a video was posted on Jan. 8 on dailymotion.com capturing events at the Capitol two days before. On it, Mr. Perna is seen in a red hoodie with white lettering that says, “Make America Great Again.” He is also seen with a cellphone in his hand while he is filming and chanting “U.S.A.,” the FBI said.
On Jan. 11, a federal magistrate authorized a warrant for Mr. Perna’s Facebook account. The FBI found that an 8-minute video was posted to the account on Jan. 6. At the beginning a man introduces himself, along with Mr. Perna and a woman, as the three of them are sitting in a hotel room.
Mr. Perna and the woman describe their experiences in the Capitol, with Mr. Perna stating, “Steve and I, we walked right into the Capitol building,” according to the affidavit.
On Jan. 13, a witness contacted the FBI and identified Mr. Perna, saying he or she had known him for years. The two hadn’t communicated in a few years but the witness said he or she viewed Mr. Perna’s Facebook account now and then. The witness had seen postings by Mr. Perna supporting President Trump and the conspiracy group QAnon, the affidavit says.
The witness also saw a Facebook post by Mr. Perna within the past few months indicating he had bought a gun. The witness also reported seeing the video showing Mr. Perna at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
A second witness also contacted the FBI on Jan. 13 indicating he or she knew Mr. Perna. The witness lived in the same town and often saw Mr. Perna at a local business.
On Thursday, Mr. Perna contacted an FBI agent and indicated that he had learned from a law enforcement associate that he was being sought by the FBI.
Agents talked to him at his home that day and he confirmed that he had attended President Donald Trump’s rally and had marched to the Capitol, according to the affidavit. He said he and a friend went to the top of the steps of the
Capitol building’s west side and were “surprised that the door was open.”
Two U.S. Capitol police officers were inside the door.
Mr. Perna “claimed that he was pushed into the building by a crowd that had gathered behind him,” the affidavit says, and “it was not his intention to enter the Capitol.”
He also said he was inside the building for five to 10 minutes. In a later interview, he said that at one point he become frustrated, and, using a metal pole, tapped on a window of the Capitol building.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Mr. Perna said, “I have no interest in speaking with the press at this moment. Everything’s good. I got an attorney. We’re feeling confident.”
Mr. Perna declined to identify his lawyer and then hung up. A search of state records turned up no criminal history for him.