A man charged with breaching the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 is also accused of stealing a jacket and a hat from a Capitol Police officer and bragging about it to colleagues, according to federal court documents.
The man, Darrell Neely, was arrested in Washington on Monday and charged with theft of government property, according to court documents, which allege that he took part in the Capitol riot. Neely told three co-workers about how he nabbed items from a Capitol Police officer, along with china plates, from inside the building, according to a criminal complaint from Sept. 30 that was unsealed Monday.
The complaint says the FBI's evidence included witness statements from three colleagues who worked with Neely at an online radio station, Global Enlightenment Radio Network. The colleagues, who were identified only as witnesses in the complaint, told the FBI that they spoke with Neely on two video calls Jan. 6. Neely showed or spoke about items he is alleged to have stolen, the complaint says.
"According to Witness 3, NEELY boasted that he had attacked a USCP officer and had taken the USCP jacket, badge, name tag, and baseball cap from the officer. Witness 3 said NEELY also boasted about taking china plates from the Capitol building," the complaint said.
Another witness said that in a second video call, Neely displayed "two china plates that were cream and maroon in color. ... Witness 1 thought NEELY insinuated that the items were taken from inside the Capitol building."
Neely, who was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, was also charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to the complaint.
Neely could not be immediately reached for comment Tuesday. An attorney was not listed in court records.
The complaint said the FBI received a tip on Jan. 9 that Neely breached the Capitol three days earlier. Screenshots of video showed him at the Capitol. In a shot from inside the Capitol, he appeared "to be holding a marijuana cigarette," the complaint says.
The FBI also said Neely broadcast about Jan 6. on his YouTube channel. In one of the videos, he wore a "U.S. Capitol Police baseball cap," according to the complaint.
The FBI spoke with the Capitol Police officer, who told the FBI, according to the criminal complaint, that the items were removed during decontamination from lacrimal spray, which is commonly known as tear gas.
The FBI also interviewed Neely twice, the complaint says. Neely said he "went to the Capitol to film the events because he felt the events were newsworthy," it says, adding, "He also admitted to entering the U.S. Capitol building." The court filing says that the FBI obtained a search warrant for Neely's cellphone records and that his phone was determined to have been inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.