BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Broward County man posted on TikTok in 2022 saying he “HAD A BLAST” storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was arrested and now faces jail time if convicted, according to federal court documents.
Two tipsters informed the FBI that Joseph Julius Lapoint, 43, was among the more than 2,000 people who stormed the U.S. Capitol to try and overturn the 2020 election.
Lapointis being charged with entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted area, disorderly conduct in a capitol building and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building.
FBI Special Agent Brian Smith, tasked with investigating criminal activity from Jan. 6, 2021, wrote that he found the TikTok on Lapoint’s captioned, “Me and babe stormed the Capitol with the rest of America.”
The first tipster informed the FBI that he or she was related to Lapoint, and he posted videos of himself on Facebook claiming he entered the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021. He also had videos of himself and his girlfriend and fiance, Nicole Joyner, entering the building.
The informant also provided the FBI with Lapoint’s phone number which matched a number present at the Capitol on that date. Google subscriber records for the account linked with the phone number also revealed his email address.
Another phone number was associated with the account, which was also found to be present at the Capitol. The additional number was confirmed to be LaPoint when he gave that number to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in June 2018.
In August 2021, a second tipster gave the FBI screenshot photos of Joyner that he/she captured from her Instagram, Parler and DLive accounts.
The outfits in the pictures from Lapoint and Joyner’s accounts matched, the documents read. Joyner commented on her Instagram post that she saw supposed members of Antifa enter the Capitol, which indicated to the FBI that she was there. Smith also wrote that Joyner’s Instagram account was associated with a phone number at the Capitol that day.
The FBI also believes LaPoint and Joyner were captured on a livestream broadcast on DLive, according to court records. Surveillance footage also shows Joyner and Lapoint inside the Capitol building for about 20 minutes.
Lapoint was booked into the Broward County Jail, posted a $25,000 bond and appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court on Tuesday. One of the conditions of his bond is to stay away from the District of Columbia.
The case is being transferred from the Southern District of Florida to Washington, D.C.
