Ex-Navy Contractor From Colts Neck Convicted In Capitol Riot Case

NEW JERSEY— A federal jury has found a former Army reservist and Navy contractor from Colts Neck guilty of felony obstruction and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli, 32, was found guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington of a felony charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, and four related misdemeanors, according to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department.

Hale-Cusanelli's criminal complaint details a history of extremist views, describing him as a "Nazi sympathizer who posts video opinion statements on YouTube proffering extreme political opinions and viewpoints" on his now-defunct channel Based Hermes Show. Following the riots at the U.S. Capitol, authorities found copies of Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and neo-Nazi aligned race war novel "The Turner Diaries" in Hale-Cusanelli's apartment, according to the criminal complaint.

The misdemeanors he was convicted of are: 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 parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building, the federal Justice Department said in a statement after the verdict.

The insurrection at the U.S. Capitol has been linked to the deaths of six people, including a Capitol police officer from South River, and caused nearly $1.5 million in damage to the Capitol building, according to the Justice Department.

More than 150 individuals have been charged in connection with the Capitol Hill riots, including a former Monmouth County corrections officer.

His and others’ actions disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to count the electoral votes related to the presidential election, the Justice Department said in the statement.

Hale-Cusanelli will be sentenced on Sept. 16. The felony obstruction charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison. Two of the misdemeanors each carry a statutory maximum of one year, and the other two each carry a statutory maximum of six months. The charges also carry potential financial penalties, the statement says.

At the time of the Capitol breach, Hale-Cusanelli was enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. Hale-Cusanelli worked as a contractor at Earle Naval Weapons Station in Colts Neck, where he had a “secret” security clearance, and has since been barred from the facility. He received an other-than-honorable "punitive" discharge. He was fired from the contracted job.

According to the government’s evidence, Hale-Cusanelli drove to Washington on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021. He joined a mob of rioters that illegally breached a police line attempting to secure the Capitol grounds, the Justice Department statement said.

He commanded other rioters to “advance” on the Capitol, a command he continued once inside. Hale-Cusanelli was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol Building, moving inside shortly after the breach that took place at 2:12 p.m. at the Senate Wing Door.

He made harassing and derogatory statements toward Capitol Police officers, saying that a “revolution” was coming. He remained in the building for approximately 40 minutes. Days after the incident, Hale-Cusanelli told a friend that being in the Capitol was “exhilarating,” he was hoping for a “civil war,” and that the “tree of liberty must be refreshed with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

Hale-Cusanelli was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021. After transfer from Monmouth County, he has since been detained in a federal prison.

According to prosecutors, Hale-Cusanelli's views have only been getting more extreme while he has been detained. The defendant has expressed that the "system" is "getting more illegitimate every day," "it will only be a "matter of time" until a civil war is ignited and "'it's going to be the [expletive] good old boys in the Midwest, Texas, and Arkansas' who prevail."

Court documents say that Hale-Cusanelli admitted his role in the Capitol riot to FBI agents, noting that he argued there was a "strong chance President Trump would be with them."

Meanwhile, Marissa A. Suarez, a former Monmouth County corrections officer from Union Beach who had been indicted on several federal crimes in connection to the January Capitol Hill insurrection pleaded guilty earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press. She is free on her own recognizance and will be sentenced July 12, the report said.

Suarez, a county correctional police officer since 2019, reportedly took an emergency holiday from work to attend the events. Suarez resigned following her arrest, Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden told Patch in a statement in January.

The Hale-Cusanelli case is being investigated by the Northeast Field Office of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service and FBI’s Newark and Washington Field Offices. Assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police, the statement said.

In the 16 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.