Three men from Illinois pleaded guilty Thursday to their involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and NBC 5 Investigates’ Phil Rogers has more details.
Three men from Illinois pleaded guilty Thursday to their involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Brothers Anthony and Jeremiah Carollo and their cousin Cody Vollan each pleaded guilty to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building - one of four charges originally filed against them earlier this year.
An FBI affidavit filed in federal court when the three were arrested in January says that based on geolocation data obtained via search warrant on Google, investigators became aware that mobile devices associated with the men's Google accounts were likely in and around the restricted area of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Recovery phone numbers listed on each of their accounts were registered to their addresses on file with the DMV, investigators said, noting that video footage from the Capitol showed images of people consistent with each of their driver’s license photos.
In late October, the FBI interviewed a family member of the Carollos, court documents show. That family member identified two of the three in a photo from Jan. 6 and said the third was also present at the Capitol that day.
When the three men were individually confronted by FBI agents at their Lockport and Glen Carbon homes last October and November, investigators said each admitted his presence inside the Capitol and identified himself and the others in photos.
All three entered the Capitol through a broken window and walked around the building, including in the vicinity of the Speaker's office and through the Crypt and Rotunda, for more than 15 minutes, according to the plea agreement. They were not accused of causing any damage while inside.
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Nearly 800 individuals face federal charges stemming from the attack. More than 250 are charged with assaulting, resisting or impeding police officers or employees, while close to 700 are charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building.
The Carollos and Vollan are three of 24 individuals from Illinois charged in connection with the Capitol attack. Ten have pleaded guilty and of those, five are awaiting sentencing. The Carollos and Vollan are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 13.
