An Oath Keeper member who appeared to serve as one of infamous Trump ally Roger Stone’s security guards on the day of the Capitol siege on January 6 has been arrested on charges connected to the attack.
The FBI announced on Monday that Roberto Minuta, the Oath Keeper member, had been taken into custody. He will appear in court in White Plains, New York later in the day.
Over the weekend, we arrested Roberto Minuta and Issac Sturgeon for their respective roles in the assault on the Capitol. Keep the tips coming as we work to identify those responsible so they can be held accountable. See our latest photos at https://t.co/nSyFfocWp8
— FBI New York (@NewYorkFBI) March 8, 2021
The exact charges are not yet known.
The arrest was first reported by NBC New York.
CNN identified Minuta as one of the men who seemed to provide security detail for Stone outside a hotel in Washington before the attack, which was incited by President Donald Trump at his “Stop the Steal” rally. Minuta was seen wearing the Oath Keepers logo, and the Oath Keepers’ announcement of a “Freedom Rally” in support of Minuta’s tattoo shop identifies him as a member.
The New York Times pinpointed him as “Guard 6” in their analysis of videos of the Oath Keepers hanging around Stone. ABC News published one of the videos as well.
The Oath Keepers are a far-right, anti-government militia group. Several members are facing indictment on conspiracy charges related to the attack.
Stone, who was pardoned by Trump while serving a prison sentence for obstruction, told ABC News that he “had no advance knowledge of the riot at the Capitol” and “could not even tell you the names of those who volunteered to provide security” for him.
In a separate statement online, the GOP operative defended having the Oath Keepers as body men, saying they “came forward to voluntarily provide free security for me as they had graciously done at three previous rallies in Miami and Tampa.”
“I found them to be courteous, effective and saw no evidence of misconduct or any other extremist attitude,” he said.
Stone asserted that “if individual members of the organization committed unlawful acts, they should be prosecuted.”
