Bloomington man charged in Jan. 6 riot ‘stormed’ Capitol with his mother, docs say
(WISH) — A Hoosier arrested Wednesday for offenses related to the Jan. 6 siege at the United States Capitol wrote on social media that he and his mother “helped stop the vote count for a bit,” according to federal court documents.
Antony Vo, 28, was arrested in Bloomington on four charges, none involving violence.
Vo used social media accounts on Jan. 6 to document both his attendance at the “Stop the Steal” rally and his storming of the U.S. Capitol, according to a criminal complaint filed this week.
A person who knew Vo through their college fraternity shared a post they believed was from Vo’s Facebook page and that circulated among fraternity members and Indiana University alumni. The photo showed Vo and a woman the witness believed was Vo’s mother inside the Capitol rotunda, the documents said.
A second person shared screenshots of Vo’s Instagram account with the FBI. Those images showed a number of Washington locations, including the exterior of the Capitol building, with crowds gathered, the documents said.
The two people who reached out to the FBI said that they knew Vo engaged “in conspiracy theories.” One said Vo was an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump, and the other said Vo subscribed to libertarian ideologies.
Using his various social media accounts, Vo talked about why he entered the Capitol building. In one conversation, Vo said, “My mom and I helped stop the vote count for a bit.” In another conversation on social media, he wrote, “President [Trump] asked me to be here tomorrow so I am with my mom LOL,” the documents said.
When a friend asked Vo via social media how he and other rioters could get into the Capitol building, he claimed police let him and other rioters in, federal documents said.
In another exchange on social media, Vo again said police “pretty much opened” the gates for rioters:
Vo: they [the police] pretty much opened up for us
Vo’s friend: The police opened the gate?! I didn’t hear that anywhere!
Vo: yeah they stood down and retreated after we clearly outnumbered themFederal criminal complaint
Federal investigators say Vo admitted in two Instagram exchanges that he “stormed” the Capitol with his mother.
A federal judge has granted Vo’s release without posting bond.
Six other Indiana residents have been charged in connection with the deadly Capitol siege. Those charged include:
All cases related to the Jan. 6 incident are being prosecuted by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.