WASHINGTON — Two Tampa Bay area men were arrested Friday and accused of being involved in the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The U.S. Department of Justice said 59-year-old Brian Boele, of Lakeland, and 48-year-old James Brett, of Clearwater, were indicted on felony charges of civil disorder and three related misdemeanor counts.
"Boele and Brett joined a group in illegally entering the Capitol grounds and making their way to the Lower West Terrace, where law enforcement officers were attempting to secure the building from a crowd of rioters," the DOJ wrote in a news release.
The two men were named in a superseding indictment that had previously charged three more Tampa Bay area defendants. The DOJ said the three others charged were 28-year-old Alan Fischer III, of Tampa, 34-year-old Zachary Johnson, of St. Pete, and 61-year-old Dion Rajewski of Largo. Those three have pleaded not guilty.
Boele and Brett made their initial court appearances Friday before a federal magistrate judge in the Middle District of Florida, according to the DOJ. Both were released on standard conditions.
"In the 16 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 250 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement," the DOJ wrote in a statement. "The investigation remains ongoing."
The Justice Department urged anyone with information that could assist investigators in the ongoing Capitol investigation to call 1-800-CALL-FBI or to click here.