A Washington, D.C., man who bares the same name as one of the nation’s Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, was arrested Thursday on charges of illegally releasing recordings of grand jury proceedings.
Hamilton, 28, was sworn in as a grand juror back in September and illegally recorded deliberations before sharing them on Instagram and in text messages, the Justice Department said. He is charged with contempt and obstruction of justice under city and federal law.
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Video taken on his cellphone showed him taking an oath, during which he looked down at the camera and said, “I’m about to lie” as he raised his hand and swore in, according to the DOJ.
Hamilton made an initial court appearance Thursday and was released on “personal recognizance.” His social media use will be subject to restrictions during his release, and he is set to return for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 11, 2023.
Prosecutors allege that Hamilton “demonstrated an awareness in numerous messages” that he was prohibited from having his cellphone in the room where the grand jury sat through presentations. Additionally, he swore an oath to secrecy before serving on the grand jury, according to prosecutors.
Authorities began investigating the matter following a complaint with the Metropolitan Police Department about an Instagram account with roughly 10,400 followers posting videos of grand jury proceedings, an affidavit said.
Hamilton later confessed to the recordings and suggested he used one of his two phones to capture the proceedings, the DOJ claimed.
“Grand jurors are admonished to preserve the secrecy of the proceedings by abstaining from communicating with family, friends, representatives of the news media or any other person concerning that which transpires in the grand jury room,” the DOJ said in a press release.
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The obstruction charge is a District of Columbia offense and the contempt is a federal one, according to the DOJ. Hamilton had been sworn in as a grand juror on Sept. 9.
Details of what the case that the grand jury was overseeing are not immediately clear. The Washington Examiner reached out to prosecutors for additional information.
