ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – An Orange County man, who FBI investigators say is a member of the Proud Boys, entered a plea of not guilty Thursday to charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
Arthur Jackman, 30, was arrested March 30 on federal charges of obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and engaging in disruptive and disorderly conduct. He previously pleaded not guilty to these charges.
A federal grand jury later indicted Jackman on six new charges which include tampering with a witness, victim or informant; two new charges of entering and remaining on restricted grounds and three counts of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. These are the charges he pleaded not guilty to on Thursday.
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Arthur Jackman is the husband of an Orange County deputy. Following an internal agency inquiry, sheriff’s officials said they found no evidence that Deputy Sarah Jackman had any involvement or knowledge of her husband’s alleged actions in Washington D.C. and cleared her of any wrongdoing.
During the inquiry, Sarah Jackman said her husband was part of the organization for several years and is the vice president of the Orlando chapter.
Investigators said Arthur Jackman was seen in news footage taking a selfie inside the Senate chamber on Jan. 6 and also texted a selfie to a childhood friend who messaged him to ask if he was involved in the riot. The accompanying text from Jackman read, “We stormed and took over,” according to a screenshot in the report.
Arthur Jackman was also seen with Joseph Biggs, a Proud Boys organizer who was also taken into custody in Central Florida, records show.
Records show Arthur Jackman was charged with Kevin and Nathaniel Tuck, a father and son who are both former police officers in Windemere and Apopka respectively, though it has not been made clear how the three are connected.
Hundreds of arrests have been made thus far, including dozens of Floridians. In addition to these arrests, 21 other residents of Central Florida have been charged in connection with the Capitol Hill riot.
Among the most notable local suspects are a Sanford firefighter, a Viera High School teacher and several members of the Oath Keepers — a militia group that coordinated with the Proud Boys to orchestrate the siege on the Capitol, according to prosecutors.
Anyone with information about someone who was involved in the riot can find details on how to report them here.