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Winter Springs man charged in Capitol riot after tipsters alerted FBI to his Facebook posts

John Nassif faces multiple federal charges tied to Jan. 6 violence

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Another Central Florida man has been arrested on charges connected to the violence at the Capitol building on Jan. 6 when hundreds of then President Donald Trump supporters stormed the building.

John Nassif, of Winter Springs, was arrested Monday on federal charges in connection to the attempted insurrection.

Federal prosecutors allege witnesses called the FBI to report photos posted by Nassif on Facebook inside the Capitol building after the breach. FBI investigators reviewed photos and video posted by Nassif inside the Capitol building, according the the arrest warrant.

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“I found myself inside the building,” Nassif wrote in one Facebook post included in the warrant.

Investigators also reviewed comments Nassif made on posts including, one that read, “You know I was there right?”

FBI investigators said they were also able to find Nassif inside the building using surveillance video recorded the day of the riot. Photos of Nassif wearing a red “Make America Great” hat among a throng of people inside the building were included in court documents.

The Winter Springs man is charged with entering a restricted building without lawful authority, impeding or disrupting the orderly conduct of a government business or officials function, engaging in disorderedly or disruptive conduct and knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds.

Nassif is set to appear in the federal court in Orlando Monday at 1:30 p.m.

Nassif’s arrest marks the 16th person from the Central Florida area accused of taking part in the events of Jan. 6.

More than 370 people are facing federal charges in the deadly insurrection, which sent lawmakers into hiding and delayed the certification of President Joe Biden’s win.

Most recently, a member of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group and heavy metal guitarist became the first defendant to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.


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