A right-wing video blogger who filmed a music video dedicated to law enforcement was arrested Saturday by the FBI after it was played live resting in the Capitol amid the Jan. 6 uprising.
In a criminal complaint released Saturday, the Justice Department said it had arrested Anthime Joseph Gionet, the far-right activist best known as “Baked Alaska,” accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Gionet, who tested positive for COVID-19 a few days before the riot and is currently facing unrelated charges for allegedly smoking pepper with a bottle last year, traveled to DC this month for the “Stop The Steal ”. As the riots stormed Congress, Gionet, a former BuzzFeed employee turned far-right pro-Trump activist, was broadcast live at the event on DLive, a popular video platform that eventually eliminated the broadcast.
As the riots stormed Congress, Gionet, a former BuzzFeed employee turned far-right and pro-Trump activist, was broadcast live on DLive, a popular video platform that eventually eliminated the broadcast.
But like many riots last week, his Capitol venues may be chasing him again. Much of the evidence against Gionet presented in Saturday’s sworn arrest statement is directly attributed to his own 27-minute live broadcast.
“Defendant can be heard remarking ‘1776 baby,’ ‘I won’t leave boys, don’t worry,'” the affidavit he says. “At minute 2:52 of the YouTube video, the defendant, who broadcasts the event live from his device, turns the phone to show his face and is clearly identifiable.”
At one point, Gionet was filmed entering an office, picking up a phone and interpreting an “alleged phone call with U.S. Senate staff.”
Later in the video, he walked into another office, sat on a couch, and placed his feet on a table. “The accused encourages others not to break anything,” the affidavit adds.
VICI He reported earlier this week that the FBI was using Gionet’s live broadcast on the riot to find and locate other participants. The agency issued several warnings last week seeking information about people from the pro-Trump crowd that included images taken directly from the Baked Alaska video.
On Friday, Daniel Goodwyn, a “self-proclaimed” Proud Boy, was arrested by federal authorities who testified in court records calling him by name on Gionet’s live broadcast.
Federal authorities say they have charged at least 100 people as a result of the riots, including a Texas real estate agent who brought a private jet to DC, a former Latin Kings gangster, a peyote-loving “QAnon Shaman” and a woman who was kicked out by a high school friend after allegedly pinching the plaque of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The FBI also announced charges Saturday against another man who allegedly stormed the Capitol.
Law enforcement said Jack Jesse Griffith, also known as Juan Bibiano, took part in the event, citing his own posts on Facebook and Instagram, where he allegedly wrote: “I even helped assault [sic] today at the capitol, but it only made things worse. “