MORE CAPITOL ARRESTS
New Castle couple charged for participating in Jan. 6 riot.
The owner and the president of a McKees Rocks business have both been charged with crimes in connection to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities announced Friday.
Philip C. Vogel II and Debra J. Maimone, both of New Castle, were charged with theft, entering restricted buildings, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
According to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, a Parler social media account registered to Ms. Maimone featured video of the two inside the Capitol Crypt during the riot.
The camera panned to Ms. Maimone’s face, and she removed her “distinctive American flag mask” and said, “It’s amazing,” the documents read.
Mr. Vogel, offscreen, says to her: “Put your mask back on. I don’t want them to see you,” according to court papers.
The charging documents feature screenshots allegedly showing the two inside the Capitol building, with Ms. Maimone wearing a shirt reading “God, guns, Trump” in red lettering.
Security camera footage also shows the two pushing past law enforcement and forcing a door open, the documents say. Another video shows Mr. Vogel kicking in an office door.
More video allegedly shows Ms. Maimone putting a gas mask into Mr. Vogel’s backpack, and she then helps another rioter put a gas mask into a bag and gives him a thumbs-up.
The documents also say there is video footage of the pair taking “escape hoods,” personal protective devices used to protect the wearer from chemical agents, from a bag clearly marked “Police.”
Investigators found a KDKATV story published in October 2020 showing Mr. Vogel being interviewed after he escaped a capsizing boat. The interview showed his voice matched that
of the person heard offscreen in the Parler video, while his hand tattoos were in line with the ones seen in the security camera footage.
They also found photos posted Jan. 7 on a Facebook page under the name “Flip Vogel” where the man is seen holding a fish; the caption reads, “Got this monster in the Potomac.” His beanie and scarf match the clothing seen in the videos taken at the riot the day before.
The two are listed as running the Vera General Contracting and Cleaning Services business, with Ms. Maimone serving as president and Mr. Vogel the business’s owner, according to court documents. A Yelp listing shows Mr. Vogel again wearing the beanie that he was wearing during the riot, the documents say.
Mr. Vogel and Ms. Maimone could not be reached for comment. They live together and are engaged to be married, attorneys said at a virtual hearing on Friday.
Mr. Vogel continued to post social media messages in support of those who participated in the riot, writing on Jan. 14: “The people being arrested are law abiding, tax paying citizens.
“Remember, the people that allowed this [expletive ] election to go through were in there that day,” he continued. “These people took a stand against tyrants no matter where or who they are.”
Ms. Maimone, meanwhile, defended herself on her Parler account, the documents state.
One user wrote to her that she illegally entered the Capitol.
Ms. Maimone, under the use Trump Is Your President 1776, responded: “I’m not saying that you stupid couch potato. I’m saying I was at the government building FULL OF
TYRANTS and
WATCHED A TON of patriots that were fed up with being shot at flash banged and gassed for trying to peacefully protest!” When someone said the FBI would be arresting everyone who illegally went into the building, Ms. Maim one said: “Lmao yaaaaaaaaaa sure thing buddy! Good thing I wasn’t in there. Although I support all the Americans that did their duty that day!” Both defendants were released name on $10,000 unsecured bonds after a Friday afternoon hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan in Pittsburgh.