- A Pennsylvania man was charged this month in connection to the January 6 Capitol riot.
- Prosecutors say Samuel Fontanez Rodriguez called the FBI in January 2021 to "clear his name."
- His call came days after one of his friends told investigators the two men attended the riot together.
A Pennsylvania man this month was charged in connection to the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot more than a year after he called the FBI and admitted to participating in the attack in an effort to "clear his name."
Samuel Fontanez Rodriguez was charged on July 6 with four counts related to his role in the siege, including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, disorderly conduct, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
About two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters laid siege to the US Capitol, Fontanez Rodriguez called the FBI, identified himself, and acknowledged that he was present for the attack, according to court documents. In an attempt to "clear his name," Fontanez Rodriguez told investigators he was exposed to tear gas and smoke bombs and said he stayed in the building for only a short period of time before leaving, prosecutors said.
Fontanez Rodriguez's call came mere days after one of his friends, Jackson Kostolsky, spoke to federal investigators about his own role in the insurrection and said he traveled to the Capitol with Fontanez Rodriguez. According to court documents, Kostolsky identified himself and Fontanez Rodriguez in photos from that day in subsequent interviews.
Prosecutors also said the two men were captured on security camera footage throughout the Capitol.
Investigators subsequently searched Fontanez Rodriguez's call phone and discovered a trove of photos taken on the day of the riot. One of the photos found on Fontanez Rodriguez's phone was taken in front of a "Black Lives Matter" sign which featured Fontanez Rodriguez putting his knee on Kostolsky's neck as the latter lay flat on the ground.
The pose appears to harken back to the position in which George Floyd died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into his neck for nearly 10 minutes.
Fontanez Rodriguez could not be reached for comment and had no current attorney listed.
More than 880 people have been charged in connection with the attack. Nearly 330 people have pleaded guilty thus far.