A former congressional candidate was arrested in Florida last week in connection to the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, authorities said.
Case documents filed by prosecutors last week alleged that Brown had helped transport people who sought to attend the Jan. 6 protest and is accused of writing on the Signal app in late December that “we have a RV an Van going (sic). Plenty of Gun Ports left to fill. We can pick you up.”
“If you can, come to my house anytime Saturday. You can stop by and drop stuff off, or stay the night. This way we can load plan, route plan, and conduct PCIs (Pre Combat Inspections),” Brown also wrote on Jan. 1, along with details about when to leave for the event.
It’s not clear if Brown has a lawyer.
Later, on Jan. 6, he allegedly wrote that “everything you are watching on the Media and Houses of Congress is a LIE” adding that “I was shot in the neck with pepper balls and beating in the forearm with a night stick trying to shield unprotected Civilians from being hit in the head. This was an exercise in the unrestrained addiction to power.”
The case file also included screenshots of posts that Brown made on Parler.
The Department of Justice filing also asserted that Brown “wore full military gear, including a helmet, radio, a tactical vest, and prominently displayed large surgical trauma shears tucked into a pack sitting on the vest,” which was similar to a photo of him that was provided by an unnamed witness to federal officials.
Brown was allegedly within the restricted area that was set up by law enforcement near the Capitol when members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence certified the 2020 election, according to a photo taken on Jan. 6, prosecutors said.
“I can’t make any promises but, like, if you provide information that prevents something big, the government pays for that,” one of the men, who weren’t identified, told Brown.
