With 85 Charged, Florida Tops Nation In Capitol Breach Arrests

CLEARWATER, FL — Two more Tampa Bay men have been implicated in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Justice said Brian Boele, 59, of Lakeland and James Brett IV, 48, of Clearwater are part of a group that entered the Capitol grounds illegally and accessed the lower west terrace as Capitol police tried to secure the terrace.

Boele and Brett were charged with felony civil disorder and three misdemeanors related to the disturbance. They both were arrested in their home cities and made their first appearances in the Middle District of Florida on Friday.

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According to the Department of Justice, both men were named in an indictment that also charged Alan Fischer III, 28, of Tampa; Zachary Johnson, 34, of St. Petersburg; and Dion Rajewski, 61, of Largo, all of whom pleaded not guilty.

Additionally, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a superseding indictment Monday charging five members of the Proud Boys — including the group’s former national chairman, Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, 38, of Miami — with seditious conspiracy in connection with actions they are accused of taking during the breach of the U.S. Capitol.

The other defendants are Ethan Nordean, 31, of Auburn, Washington; Joseph Biggs, 38, of Ormond Beach, Florida; Zachary Rehl, 37, of Philadelphia; and Dominic Pezzola, 44, of Rochester, New York. All previously were indicted and remain jail.

They pleaded not guilty to the previous charges.

The superseding indictment adds two charges to the earlier indictment: one count of seditious conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties.

All defendants now face a total of nine charges, and Pezzola faces an additional robbery charge.

The defendants were scheduled to appear for a hearing Thursday in the District of Columbia.

The indictments were handed down just as the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol released its findings starting Thursday, June 9.

A series of hearings will take place over the next several weeks in which the nine-member panel will give an overview of its 11-month investigation.

More than 1,000 people have been interviewed by the panel.

In the 17 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.

With 85 arrests, Florida leads the nation in the number of residents arrested.

The investigation remains open, and the FBI is still attempting to identify people photographed taking part in the insurrection. The photos are available here.