Man with 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt, Olympic swimmer charged over Capitol riots

By Sarah N. Lynch and Jonathan Stempel

 

Robert Keith Packer poses for a booking photograph after being arrested on a federal warrant, at the Western Tidewater Regional Jail in Suffolk, Virginia, U.S. January 13, 2021. Western Tidewater Regional Jail/Handout via REUTERS

 

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - A man clad in a 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt, a gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer, and a Proud Boys supporter are among those arrested by the FBI in connection with the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday.

 

Robert Keith Packer, a Virginia man identified as having worn the Nazi-linked shirt, was charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, and allowed to be released following a virtual hearing in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

 

According to the criminal complaint, Packer was photographed wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with the words 'Camp Auschwitz' during the assault on the Capitol. Auschwitz was the Nazi death camp where about 1.1 million people, most of them Jews, were killed in gas chambers and by other means during World War Two.

 

The sweatshirt also bore a skull and crossbones and the words "Work Brings Freedom" - echoing the German slogan atop the main gate at the original Auschwitz camp.

 

In a separate case, prosecutors in New York charged Eduard Florea with being a felon in possession of a firearm after the FBI said he possessed more than 1,000 rounds of rifle ammunition, military combat knives, and shotgun rounds.

 

While Florea did not travel to the Capitol, prosecutors said he made verbal threats on the conservative social media platform Parler to carry out violence.

 

Florea was a supporter of the Proud Boys and had applied to become a member, the government said during his hearing.

 

Prosecutors said that in one threat, Florea referred on Jan. 6 to newly-elected Georgia Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock, who is Black, writing: "Dead men can't pass shit laws."

 

Florea, from the borough of Queens in New York City, was ordered detained pending trial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara at a virtual hearing in Brooklyn.

 

The judge said the government's allegations suggested that Florea's Jan. 6 posts "make clear frankly what reflects a premeditated plan to exact violence against people in New York and people in Washington."

 

Also unveiled on Wednesday was a criminal complaint accusing the Olympic gold medalist Klete Keller of civil disorder, unlawful entry and disorderly conduct.

 

The Justice Department said it had brought at least 70 cases in connection with the riot at the Capitol, in which five people died as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building, scaled walls and ransacked offices.

 

A grand jury in Washington is reviewing possible additional charges.

 

Many of those arrested were captured on video and in photos, with some bragging about their actions. The FBI has been scouring more than 100,000 images and videos as it tries to track down suspects.

 

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Michael Sherwin said on Tuesday that while many people in custody were arrested on less serious charges, such as unlawful entry, some offenders may face steeper charges.

 

Among the possible charges some could face include seditious conspiracy or felony murder in connection with the death of a Capitol Police officer.

 

OFF DUTY POLICE

The Justice Department on Wednesday also charged Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker - two off duty police officers from Rocky Mount, Virginia - after they were photographed inside the Capitol "making an obscene statement in front of a statue of (Revolutionary hero) John Stark."

 

In social media posts, the FBI quoted Robertson as saying: "CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us."

 

A police spokeswoman in a statement said the two officers had been placed on administrative leave pending review of the matter.

 

Several other suspects tied to the events at the Capitol also made initial appearances in federal courts across the United States on Wednesday.

 

William Pepe, 31, appeared in a federal court in White Plains, New York after having been identified as being among the protesters, leading to his suspension from his job with the Metro-North commuter railroad.

 

Bail was set at $10,000, and Pepe will have to surrender a shotgun and hunting knife he owns. The presiding judge told him the events of Jan. 6 "changed the trajectory of your life."

 

Others facing similar charges unveiled on Wednesday included Nicholas Rodean of Maryland, Andrew Williams of Florida, Josiah Colt of Idaho and Kevin Loftus of Wisconsin, the Justice Department said.

 

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch in Washington and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Brad Heath in Washington; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-14

 

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I’d love for that S/S wanna be Robert Keith be assigned to 500 hours community service at the holocaust museum and not allowed to own fire arms 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Robert Keith Packer, a Virginia man identified as having worn the Nazi-linked shirt, was charged with unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, and allowed to be released following a virtual hearing in the U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

 

Easy to find, sitting on his porch playing the banjo.

 

 

Apparently he is also a fan of Willie Nelson.

(Robert Keith Packer). I hope they leave his packer alone in prison.

 

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Easy to find, sitting on his porch playing the banjo.

 

 

Hey!  I like the banjo! LOL

 

What a nut job looking guy.  Typical of those who invaded the capitol.  Lock them up!!!! LOL

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Robert Keith Packer, a Virginia man identified as having worn the Nazi-linked shirt

Scum

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In social media posts, the FBI quoted Robertson as saying: "CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business ... The right IN ONE DAY took the f***** U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us."

Ah come on people, an obvious ANTIFA infiltrator ...

 

Sarcasm alert

Blaady idiots...jail the lot of them

10 hours ago, webfact said:

Bail was set at $10,000, and Pepe will have to surrender a shotgun and hunting knife he owns. The presiding judge told him the events of Jan. 6 "changed the trajectory of your life."

I really doubt Pepe knows what "trajectory" means.

Guantanamo Bay was built for people like this and is getting short of customers.

15 hours ago, webfact said:

Man with 'Camp Auschwitz' sweatshirt, Olympic swimmer charged over Capitol riots

By Sarah N. Lynch and Jonathan Stempel

 

 

A White Supremist, An Olympic Gold Medal Swimmer and a Proud Boy walk into a bar.....

And one ThaiVisa member tried to write them all off as mischievous animal house type frat boys ...."They were just taking selfies"....  Lucky for Pelosi , one of them just happened to be delayed by one day .

 

Cleveland Meredith was found with a Tavor X95 assault rifle, a Glock pistol, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and was detained in connection with making threats to Pelosi after an FBI agent read Jan. 7 text messages in which Meredith talked about "putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV" and running her over with his truck, according to a criminal complaint.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-police-investigation/senator-wants-capitol-rioters-data-preserved-man-carrying-house-speaker-lectern-arrested-idUSKBN29E0JC
 

The  pipe bombs found , and the 2 guys (Eric Gavelek Munchel from Tennessee and Larry Rendell Brock from Texas) found with  large packages of zip ties, shows a clear picture of what their true intentions were on Jan 6th

https://okcfox.com/news/nation-world/fbi-releases-photos-suspect-connection-pipe-bombs-found-day-capitol-riot

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/politics/capitol-zip-ties-arrest.html

 

https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/zip-tie-guy-arrested-nashville-connection-us-capitol-riot/ON3AQSBK7RC6LDVX6KHSVQ6SRA/

 

29 minutes ago, Seth1a2a said:

And one ThaiVisa member tried to write them all off as mischievous animal house type frat boys ...."They were just taking selfies"....  Lucky for Pelosi , one of them just happened to be delayed by one day .

 

Cleveland Meredith was found with a Tavor X95 assault rifle, a Glock pistol, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and was detained in connection with making threats to Pelosi after an FBI agent read Jan. 7 text messages in which Meredith talked about "putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV" and running her over with his truck, according to a criminal complaint.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-police-investigation/senator-wants-capitol-rioters-data-preserved-man-carrying-house-speaker-lectern-arrested-idUSKBN29E0JC
 

The  pipe bombs found , and the 2 guys (Eric Gavelek Munchel from Tennessee and Larry Rendell Brock from Texas) found with  large packages of zip ties, shows a clear picture of what their true intentions were on Jan 6th

https://okcfox.com/news/nation-world/fbi-releases-photos-suspect-connection-pipe-bombs-found-day-capitol-riot

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/10/us/politics/capitol-zip-ties-arrest.html

 

https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/local/zip-tie-guy-arrested-nashville-connection-us-capitol-riot/ON3AQSBK7RC6LDVX6KHSVQ6SRA/

 

No no, see they are actually ANTIFA (dramatic music) posing as trump supporters. They even grew out scruffy neck beards and got more dumpy looking for the occasion.  This was all planned weeks ago and coordinated by Soros. 

 

Btw, they were not zip ties, they were zip cuffs.  Big difference.  There is only one use for zip cuffs.

16 hours ago, webfact said:

Florea was a supporter of the Proud Boys and had applied to become a member

That's amazing, you have to actually apply to be a proud boy.

Someone should publish that application form and the conditions which have to be met to become a proud boy.

Amazing USA!

They are a proud and mysterious group .

The mystery is what they are proud off. LOL

3 minutes ago, sirineou said:

They are a proud and mysterious group .

The mystery is what they are proud off. LOL

Ask that question again after the 20th

48 minutes ago, Seth1a2a said:

Cleveland Meredith was found with a Tavor X95 assault rifle

Israeli equipment... a quick roll of the conspiracy drum please!

10 minutes ago, onebir said:

Israeli equipment... a quick roll of the conspiracy drum please!

You see! He's not that racist! ????

1 hour ago, sirineou said:

The mystery is what they are proud off

I think they are proud of their name. It consists of two monosyllabic words.

Words with more syllables present a challenge to their understanding how the world functions.

6 minutes ago, klauskunkel said:

I think they are proud of their name. It consists of two monosyllabic words.

Words with more syllables present a challenge to their understanding how the world functions.

I think you might be on to something.

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's amazing, you have to actually apply to be a proud boy.

Someone should publish that application form and the conditions which have to be met to become a proud boy.

Amazing USA!

Maybe the Proud Boys get on Equifax and check your credit rating and FICO score

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's amazing, you have to actually apply to be a proud boy.

Someone should publish that application form and the conditions which have to be met to become a proud boy.

Amazing USA!

I think you have to attend a certain number of meetings.  Not sure what else.

6 minutes ago, Tie Dye Samurai said:

Maybe the Proud Boys get on Equifax and check your credit rating and FICO score

Maybe it's more about a minimum "shoe" size. After all, they're "boys" and they're proud, so I doubt they would allow any micro slipper types. 

18 hours ago, Tug said:

I’d love for that S/S wanna be Robert Keith be assigned to 500 hours community service at the holocaust museum and not allowed to own fire arms 

I like the prison option better.

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

That's amazing, you have to actually apply to be a proud boy.

 

They have one question: what are you proud of?  If the answer is too erudite you get rejected.  Same if there are no spelling errors.

 

NYC is composed of five counties (called boroughs), Queens is one of them.   That's where this guy lives.  DT was born there, in an exclusive neighborhood, even though it's close to the airport, which would make it pretty noisy.  There are more Jews in Queens alone than in Jerusalem.  I'd like to see him boppin' around NYC in that t-shirt.  Certain predominantly Jewish neighborhoods in the boroughs have their own private police patrols, no way they going to let this guy walk by with something like that.

 

 

I am not surprised that are are still so many Donald Trump supporters, after all

when you have been brain washed for as long as they have, it will take a few years

for that brain washing to wear off, if ever. I do hope that a lot more of them get

jail time for their actions. I imagine that the police and FBI have many pictures

of these extremists as well. Guess some good has come from this mob.

Geezer

Amazing how quickly these arrests have taken place and how the resources were poured in to do it. I am sure the businesses who were victims of the BLM riots will be impressed by the zealous actions of law enforcement. 

7 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

Amazing how quickly these arrests have taken place and how the resources were poured in to do it. I am sure the businesses who were victims of the BLM riots will be impressed by the zealous actions of law enforcement. 

Cheap deflection  / whataboutism.

26 minutes ago, biggles45 said:

Amazing how quickly these arrests have taken place and how the resources were poured in to do it. I am sure the businesses who were victims of the BLM riots will be impressed by the zealous actions of law enforcement. 

Many more were arrested during the BLM riot than this one.  No comparison.  And BLM didn't break into the capitol and threaten to kill police and take members of congress hostage.

1 hour ago, biggles45 said:

Amazing how quickly these arrests have taken place and how the resources were poured in to do it. I am sure the businesses who were victims of the BLM riots will be impressed by the zealous actions of law enforcement. 

 

 

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. People know themselves much better than you do. That's why it's important to stop expecting them to be something other than who they are. - Maya Angelou.