Huntington Man Stormed U.S. Capitol: Feds

HUNTINGTON, NY — A Huntington man was arrested at his home on Wednesday morning and accused of participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Christopher W. Ortiz, 27, was arrested by the FBI's New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, said Peter Schrammel, a task force officer.

The FBI received tips that Ortiz posted content to his Instagram Story that showed he entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, Schrammel said.

On Jan. 7, someone contacted the FBI to report having video of Ortiz at the Capitol during the riot, the FBI said. The witness told the FBI that they had known Ortiz for five years, worked together and followed each other on Instagram. Ortiz's Instagram name is @chrispy0ats, the FBI said. Law enforcement then compared Ortiz's profile picture to what Schrammel said he believes are Ortiz's passport and driver's license photos.

The witness also emailed the FBI a screen-recorded video they took off what Schrammel said appears to be Ortiz's Instagram Story. The witness said the video shows Ortiz entering the Capitol during the riot and yelling "Onward, onward!"

Other people shared information and screen recordings regarding Ortiz with the FBI, officials said. On Jan. 19, the FBI contacted a second witness who said they had known Ortiz since high school, Schrammel said. The witness provided a screen-recorded video of Ortiz's Instagram account that showed him entering the Capitol and screaming "Yeah! ... Yeah! We're at the door! ... Onward, onward!"

The second witness shared a direct message conversation over Instagram with Ortiz. The witness asked Ortiz what he was doing at the Capitol, to which he replied, "participating in government," as well as, "Lol they can come and get me ... I didn’t break or vandalize or steal ... I walked through and out ... I’d storm the Capitol for you any day," Schrammel said.

The government on Jan. 21 received subscriber information for the Instagram account "chrispy0ats" that indicated the account is registered to Ortiz, officials said.

Ortiz was charged with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds against the law; intentionally disrupting government business; willingly uttering loud, threatening, or abusive language in a Capitol building to disrupt Congress; and demonstrating in the Capitol building.