Newly added to the list of people charged in the Capitol riot is a pair of Montana brothers who were allegedly at the forefront of the mob that chased Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman and wandered around the Senate floor during the January 6 riot.
A criminal complaint was filed against Jerod and Joshua Hughes on Thursday, containing nine charges for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riot, including aiding and abetting, destruction of property and interfering with law enforcement. The complaint’s filing comes after more than 100 people were charged with connection to the deadly riot and federal law enforcement has vowed to pursue those who have yet to be apprehended.
“Every FBI field office in the country is looking for you,” Steven D’Antuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, said in a message to those involved in the riot. “As a matter of fact, even your friends and family are tipping us off.”
Rioters descended on the Capitol building after a rally headlined by former President Donald Trump and demanded to be let in as Congress was in the process of debating the validity of Arizona’s electoral votes. The House and the Senate went into recess, but reconvened later that night to certify President Joe Biden‘s win.
After a rioter broke the window using a plastic shield that appeared to have been taken from a law enforcement officer, the Hughes brothers joined others in climbing through the window to enter the Capitol. Once inside, Jerod and another rioter kicked a door until the lock broke, allowing other rioters to enter, according to charging documents.
Joshua and Jerod Hughes, seen with red arrows pointed at them, were charged on Thursday with nine charges related to their alleged involvement with the Capitol riot, including when they were at the front of the mob that chased Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman. Department of Justice
Surveillance footage from inside the Capitol showed the brothers in the front row of a mob that chased Goodman up the stairs. Goodman, who has been hailed as a hero, lured them away from the Senate chamber as it was being evacuated, giving officials time to clear the Senate floor.
“When Officer Goodman reached the second floor, he positioned himself so that he was between the rioters and the Senate floor—which had not yet been evacuated,” charging documents say. “Realizing that he could not prevent the mob from storming the Senate floor by himself, Officer Goodman baited the rioters into continuing to follow him—luring them away from the Senate floor and into an adjacent hallway.”
But, after officers de-escalated the situation and rioters left the atrium, the brothers allegedly found their way to the Senate floor. While there, they and other rioters sat in senators’ chairs, opened desks and reviewed sensitive material, according to charging documents.
A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill to honor Goodman with the Congressional Gold Medal for his actions during the January 6 riot. Without Goodman luring the rioters away from the Senate floor, Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, said the “tragic assault” could have been “much worse.”
While legislators look to award Goodman with the highest award a civilian can receive, they’re looking to hold Trump accountable. The former president was impeached for a historic time on January 13 for “inciting an insurrection” and unlike his first impeachment that fell along party lines, 10 Republicans voted to impeach him this time. A conviction is unlikely in the Senate, as Democrats don’t have the support from Republicans needed, but it’s moving forward nonetheless.
The Hughes brothers turned themselves into the Helena Police Department on January 11 on the belief they were wanted by the FBI. However, they said they wanted an attorney present before they answered questions, so an FBI agent took their contact information and allowed them to return home. Newsweek reached out to the Helena Police Department and the Salt Lake City FBI field office for an update on their custody status. Their case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui.
