A New Jersey man who is a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve and works as a Navy contractor with “secret” security clearance has been charged with taking part in the U.S. Capitol riot, federal authorities said.
Timothy Louis Hale-Cusanelli, a 30-year-old felon who had been previously arrested on charges of stabbing a man and who was described as an “avowed white supremacist and Nazi sympathizer,” told other pro-Trump rioters to “advance” during the Jan. 6 deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol, according to the Department of Justice.
He was charged Friday with five federal counts, including knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disrupting the orderly conduct of government business; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building; and obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.
Hale-Cusanelli is a contractor at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey, where he “maintains a ‘secret’ security clearance and has access to a variety of munitions.” He frequently states hate rhetoric and extremist political opinions on the “Based Hermes Show” on YouTube. Though the account is still public, the videos containing his political beliefs have been deleted. He was also a regular poster on anti-Semitic social media groups Jackson Strong and Rise Up Ocean City.
Prior to traveling to D.C. for the rally-turned-riot, Hale-Cusanelli wrote, “Trust the plan, it’s the final countdown, stayed tuned next episode,” and, “Trust the plan, major announcement soon.”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service began looking into Hale-Cusanelli after receiving a tip from an informant who said the New Jersey man had confessed to breaking into the Capitol.
He was then allegedly caught on tape telling the informant that he encouraged “other members of the mob to ‘advance’ — giving directions via both voice and hand signals.”
He allegedly bragged that if “they’d had more men, they could have taken over the entire building.” He also admitted to taking a flag and flagpole that he saw another rioter throw “like a javelin” at a Capitol Police officer.
Hale-Cusanelli also showed the informant videos of himself “making harassing and derogatory statements toward Capitol Police officers both inside and outside the Capitol building,” the affidavit states.
Master Sgt. Michel Sauret, an Army Reserve Command spokesman, said in a statement that the “Army does not tolerate racism, extremism, or hatred in our ranks and is committed to working closely with the FBI as they identify people who participated in the violent attack on the Capitol to determine if the individuals have any connection to the Army.”
