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Mount Dora man takes plea deal in Capitol riot case

FBI claimed Brian Preller was militia member who planned violence

Dept. of Justice documents identify Brian Preller at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, wearing shirt that reads "Waterboarding Instructor" and a tactical vest with B Squad. (Courtesy: U.S. Dept. of Justice) (Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Mount Dora man has pleaded guilty for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

FBI agents arrested Brian Preller, 33, last August as part of their investigation into a militia that planned violence on Jan. 6, 2021.

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In court on Friday, he agreed to a plea deal, where he entered a plea of guilty to one charge of civil disorder.

Peller was one of five Central Florida residents whom agents linked to a militia group called B Squad, which identified with the ideology of the Three Percenters.

The Southern Poverty Law Center said “Three Percenters” often believe the government is working to infringe on citizens’ rights.

Dept. of Justice documents identify the B Squad group at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Courtesy: U.S. Dept. of Justice) (Copyright 2022 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.)

According to the FBI’s report last year, investigators allege 45 members of B Squad traveled from Florida to D.C., where they stayed at a hotel near the Capitol.

They claim members of the group, armed with knives, batons and pepper spray, were seen on closed-circuit surveillance video entering the tunnel at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, where they joined the crowd in trying to “heave-ho” past law enforcement.

Preller originally faced five federal charges.

He will be sentenced on Sept. 13.

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