A husband and wife who live in Virginia are among the latest people arrested over the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol.
Thomas Kasperek and his wife, Daphne Kasperek, were arrested on March 21 on charges related to the breach, according to court documents unsealed on March 28.
The charges came several months after tipsters provided information about the couple, telling the FBI that they went to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, court documents state.
The couple entered the Capitol at approximately 2:23 p.m. through a door that had been opened, according to surveillance video. The couple went to a section known as the Crypt for about six minutes. After a law enforcement officer instructed people to exit the building, they left.
The couple were inside for 12 minutes. They are not accused of any violence.
Each was charged with entering a restricted building without lawful authority, intending to disrupt the orderly conduct of government business, disrupting Congress, and parading in a Capitol building. They each face a prison term of up to three years if convicted.
“Mr. Kasperek is dealing with the difficult reality as a consequence of his arrest,” Robert Lee Jenkins Jr., an attorney representing Mr. Kasperek, told The Epoch Times in an email. “Notwithstanding the allegations, Mr. Kasperek is a non-violent man who has never been convicted of a crime. We are confident that when all the facts are revealed, it will demonstrate that he did not engage in violent conduct on January 6, 2021.”
No attorney was listed for Ms. Kasperek.
According to charging documents, the FBI sent to one of the tipsters still images of an individual inside the Capitol believed to be Mr. Kasperek, and the tipster said the individual in the pictures was Mr. Kasperek. The FBI agent then compared the images with Mr. Kasperek’s driver’s license photograph and determined it was indeed him.
The tipster also identified a woman seen on Capitol grounds as Ms. Kasperek. The image of the woman and Ms. Kasperek’s license picture “appear to depict the same individual,” the FBI agent said.
The FBI later reviewed data from phone numbers linked to the Kaspereks and found that the data indicated that the couple were inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Agents proceeded to investigate closed-circuit television, body-worn camera video, and footage from elsewhere.
Man Told Employer He Was at Capitol
Joshua Ryan Dale, another man, was arrested on March 27 on six charges related to the Capitol breach, according to court documents unsealed this week.Mr. Dale, of Tennessee, also came to the FBI’s attention after another individual contacted the bureau.
The person told the FBI that Mr. Dale posted videos to his Facebook account that showed he was inside the Capitol on the day of the breach, according to the court documents. The person had known Mr. Dale for several years and said that they were friends on Facebook, allowing the individual access to Mr. Dale’s posts.
FBI agents then obtained Mr. Dale’s driver’s license photographs and called his employer, who told agents that Mr. Dale missed work from Jan. 5 to Jan. 7, 2021. The employer said he received several texts after the breach that showed Mr. Dale in and around the Capitol building.
Mr. Dale met with FBI agents on Jan. 18, 2021, according to the FBI. Mr. Dale said he went to Washington for the rally at which then-President Donald Trump spoke but that he didn’t go inside the Capitol. After being warned about lying to federal agents and being presented with the images he sent his employer, Mr. Dale said he did go inside the Capitol but that he was only inside for about 10 minutes and didn’t damage any property.
FBI agents said they have reviewed surveillance footage and identified Mr. Dale as picking up a historical marker with a second person and “usi[ing] it as a battering ram against an interior door.”
“It appears that Dale and the unidentified rioter attempt to break the door and damage the historical marker in the process. The value of the marker is greater than $1.00,” charging documents state.
Mr. Dale was hit with six charges, including destruction of government property. He faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Mississippi Man Arrested
Donald Walker of Mississippi was also arrested recently, according to court documents unsealed on March 25.Mr. Walker, who also didn’t have an attorney listed, is accused of being on Capitol grounds on the day of the breach and approaching a line of bike racks.
Video footage showed Mr. Walker locking his arms through one of the racks and pulling it towards him as police officers on the other side tried to gain control of the rack, according to images from the footage included in charging documents.
Mr. Walker at one point allegedly placed his hand over the hand of an officer who was trying to gain control of the rack.
Chemical spray was deployed on Mr. Walker and he retreated. He eventually went inside the Capitol just before 3 p.m., according to video footage.
Mr. Walker was hit with multiple charges and, if convicted, faces up to eight years in prison.
