A Pennsylvania man indicted last month for his role in the Capitol riot discovered a stunning piece of evidence was being used against him in court: an unopened Lego set of the U.S. Capitol building that federal authorities found in his house.
Yes, you read that correctly: FBI investigators seized Robert Morss’s Lego set during a raid on his house and later claimed in court filings that it had been fully constructed. Though prosecutors didn’t say this outright, the implication was that this Lego set had something to do with the 27-year-old’s decision to storm the Capitol building on Jan. 6.
It turns out, however, that Morss’s 1,000-piece Lego set was not fully constructed when federal authorities found it. The box hadn’t even been opened, said Channing Phillips, the acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, in an amended court filing last week.
But even if the Lego set had been built, it is ridiculous to think FBI investigators thought it was compelling enough to seize as evidence. What was Morss going to do with it, map out how to get to the Senate chamber by marching a Lego figure through the toy’s halls?
Now that we know how the FBI’s police work views toys, prudent people may want to peruse the shelves in their family rooms with a fed’s eye. That Clue game? The FBI might think you used it to plan a murder. What about Risk? Are you trying to instigate the next world war? Monopoly? Bribery, real estate fraud, money laundering — that game encourages all sorts of criminal behavior.
It’s probably best to toss these incriminating games and toys lest Uncle Sam makes a visit to your home.
