A New York man reportedly connected to the far-right militia group the Oath Keepers — and photographed next to Roger Stone on Jan. 6 — was arrested for his role in the Capitol riot, a law enforcement official said Monday.
Police make their way through protesters at the US Capitol Building on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
Robert Minuta, who owns a tattoo shop in Newburgh, is in federal custody, but details about when and where he was arrested were not immediately clear, the official said.
Minuta garnered media attention after the deadly insurrection thanks to a photograph from before the Jan. 6 riots — showing him in military gear emblazoned with Oath Keeper patches and next to Stone, a longtime adviser to former President Donald Trump, ABC News reported.
The outlet reported that the Oath Keepers were known to have been providing security for Stone during his DC trip.
Minuta’s wife told the network that he marched to the Capitol with throngs of other Trump supporters — but insisted he didn’t go inside the building during the riot.
Trump supporters seen inside the US Capitol after storming in on Jan. 6, 2021.Brent Stirton/Getty Images
She called him “another patriot outside the Capitol Building … standing up for freedom,” ABC reported.
Charges against Minuta were expected to be filed Monday in federal court in White Plains.
Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, were killed in the DC riot as a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
