A Pennsylvania man who was a member of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, was turned in to authorities by his ex-girlfriend after he sent her photos and videos from the insurrection.
According to court documents, Richard Michetti sent several texts and videos to his ex-girlfriend showing him on the grounds of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“It’s going down here we stormed the building they held us back with spray and teargas and paintballs,” Michetti said in a text during the riot.
“Gotta stop the vote it’s fraud, this is our country,” he said in another text.
Their text exchanges indicate she had tried to push back on his baseless claims of election fraud.
“If you can’t see the election was stolen you’re a moron,” Michetti told her.
“I understand your point but what I’m saying is [ex-girlfriend’s name] the election was rigged and everyone knows it,” he wrote in another text. “All’s we wanted was an investigation that’s it. And they couldn’t investigate the biggest presidential race in history with mail in ballots who everyone knows is easy to fraud.”
He also sent two videos, one taken from inside the Capitol building and another from outside.
His ex-girlfriend contacted law enforcement on Jan. 7 and was interviewed by the FBI days later. She provide agents with the texts, photos and videos plus helped to identify Michetti from photos and videos sent to the FBI by tipsters from across the country.
Michetti has been charged with knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and obstruction of Congress.
He was arraigned on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia and released on unsecured bail with electronic monitoring pending an appearance Monday by video in federal court in Washington.
