Accused NYC Insurrectionists Remain Free Year After Jan 6 Riot

NEW YORK CITY — They were plumbers, politicians, dating coaches, fashion students and a judge's son. Prosecutors say they clad themselves in furs and "Make America Great Again" hats, posed for photos inside congressional offices and live-streamed events that shocked the world.

These are the New Yorkers accused of storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 as part of an insurrection to halt a lawful election, court records show.

"People died . . . " Samuel Fisher allegedly boasted of the riots. "... but it was f---ing great if you ask me."

Fisher — an Upper East Side "dating coach" who doled out misogynistic advice under the name "Brad Holiday" — recounted his time amid the chaos in boastful, unrepentant terms in the hours after the insurrection, authorities said.

But 12 months later, he remains silent. Joanne Sleight, a Washington, D.C.-based lawyer representing Fisher told Patch, "I don't have any comment."

Fisher was arrested but his stay behind bars didn't last long — in March, he was released on his own recognizance, according to federal court records.

He's not the only one.

'Defending Democracy'

At least 13 New York City dwellers currently face charges in connection to the attempted coup, according to Department of Justice records.

Most, if not all, remain free in the city on personal recognizance bonds as federal criminal courts process their cases — which are among more 700 people, and counting, charged in connection to the Capitol breach.

The riot stemmed from former President Donald Trump's assertion that the 2020 election was stolen from him. His supporters that day rallied in Washington, D.C., and marched to the Capitol, where Congress was poised to certify Joe Biden's win.

What unfolded shocked most Americans and people across the world — swarms of Trump supporters breaking down barricades, pushing through doors and breaking windows, assaulting police officers, breaching the heart of American democracy and sending the nation's leaders scrambling for fear of their lives.

Many of New York City's elected leaders and luminaries plan to mark the event's one-year anniversary with a "Defending Democracy" rally at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza.

"On the first anniversary of the attacks, New York leaders will loudly and clearly state that we will always defend democracy, and will never give up a single inch to the forces undermining voting rights," state Sen. Zellnor Myrie said in a statement.

The circumstances behind the Jan. 6 insurrection are the subject of an ongoing congressional investigation. And a massive federal criminal probe into the riot itself identified scores of people in the mob as tips rolled in from Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and even alleged insurrectionists' own live-streams.

Investigators said they identified many New Yorkers from online posts and videos, which they inserted into scores of court documents.

Here's some of what those records show.

'Storming the Capitol Building'

A rumor quickly spread among Fashion Institute of Technology students in the hours after the riot, according to prosecutors: Nicolas Anthony Moncada, one of their own, was there.

Concerned students and faculty passed tips along to the school's public safety officers, who in turn sent them to the FBI, according to documents.

The tips included videos and Instagram posts, one of which authorities said showed the inside of the Capitol building, court records show.

According to documents, one commenter asked, "what is going on?" and Moncada responded, "Storming the Capitol Building."

Moncada was arrested at his Staten Island home, court records show.

No borough has had more residents charged in the Capitol breach than Brooklyn. At least eight Brooklyn residents have been arrested in connection to insurrection, according to Department of Justice records.

They include Aaron Mostofsky, the son of a Brooklyn judge.

Mostofsky entered the Capitol clad in furs and a stolen police vest, according to documents. His flamboyant appearance became the subject of a meme that ultimately led to his identification, authorities said.

"Imagine coming off 10 hits of acid and u look around and ur in the U.S. Capitol like s***," the meme states.

Another Brooklyn man was arrested after investigators identified him on a Reddit video spraying police officers with Mace, according to court documents.

Edward Francisco Rodriguez became known as the "#suitmacer" in reference to the black suit he wore, documents state.

He also wore a "Trump" hat and held a "Stop The Steal" sign while giving an interview outside the Capitol," authorities said.

"Here in America, we fight back," he said during the interview, according to documents.

Other Brooklyn residents involved in the riot, according to documents, included sanitation worker Dominic Madden, who wore a QAnon-emblazoned sweatshirt; Anton Lunyk, who authorities said entered a senator's office; Francis Connor and Antonio Ferrigno, who posed for photos inside the building with Lunyk; 19-year-old Dovid Schwartzberg; and Daniel Christmann, a plumber and failed political candidate.

Christmann isn't the only accused insurrectionist with ties to local politics.

Queens GOP district leader Philip Grillo — the self-styled "Republican Messiah," according to the Queen Daily Eagle — faces accusations he was among the mob.

Grillo was identified through his Knights of Columbus jacket, documents state. Surveillance footage shows Grillo jumping through a broken window with a megaphone, prosecutors contend.

His fellow Queens resident Jia Liu — a Little Neck resident and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Corporal — also faces charges, according to records.

Find out more about the Capitol riot cases by visiting the Department of Justice's website.

Related coverage:

• BK Plans 'Defend Democracy' Rally Year After Capitol Insurrection
• Brooklyn's Alleged Insurrectionists: Where Cases Stand 1 Yr Later
  
• Former FIT Student Who Allegedly Stormed Capital Awaits His Fate
• Little Neck Man Free 1 Year After Allegedly Storming The Capitol
  
• 'Republican Messiah' Who Allegedly Stormed Capital Awaits Fate
• Upper East Side's Alleged Insurrectionist Still Free 1 Year Later

Patch writers Kathleen Culliton, Nick Garber, Kayla Levy, Anna Quinn and Gus Saltonstall contributed to this report.