S.A. man’s case in Capitol insurrection to be heard in D.C.

The case of a San Antonio man arrested in connection with the deadly U.S. Capitol rioting will remain in Washington, D.C.

Matthew Carl Mazzocco was scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard B. Farrer for preliminary hearings, but those were waived.

His case will be handled in a federal court in the District of Columbia, where it was filed, Mazzocco’s lawyer, Robbie Ward, confirmed Tuesday. She will continue representing him.

Mazzocco, 37, was arrested Jan. 17 after FBI agents raided his Stone Oak-area home. He’s charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct, a federal complaint states.

Authorities used postings on social media, largely on Tiktok, to identify Mazzocco as among the supporters of then-president Donald Trump who stormed inside the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the House and Senate from certifying the election of Joe Biden.

Five people died in the rioting, including a Capitol police officer.

The complaint was released after Mazzocco’s first initial court appearance last week in San Antonio.

It details that as early as the day after the riot, three people reported Mazzocco to authorities, based on photos that showed up on his social media pages, including a “selfie” he took showing a view of the Rotunda, with the caption: “The capital (sic) is ours!”

Mazzocco, whose social media accounts said he was a loan officer for Synergy One Lending, apparently was fired after his arrest.

An email from the San Antonio branch manager confirmed last week that he no longer is employed by the company, which is based in California and operates in 45 states.

The charges against Mazzocco are misdemeanors.

If convicted, he faces a maximum of a year and six months in prison and fines of more than $105,000.