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FBI: Bridgeville man was ‘ring leader’ of local group that stormed U.S. Capitol

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The Bridgeville man who livestreamed himself storming the U.S. Capitol with a riotous mob Jan. 6 acted as a “ring leader” who led a group of local people attempting to overturn the presidential election, according to testimony at his preliminary hearing.

Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice

Courtesy of U.S. Department of Justice

Kenneth Grayson

Kenneth Grayson rented a van and drove the group to Washington, D.C., promising to be “the instigator, the rowdy one” in an effort to stop Congress from certifying the election results, FBI Special Agent Mark Brundage testified in federal court Thursday morning.

“He essentially was the organizer, the ring leader, the fighter of the group,” Brundage said.

Private text messages from Grayson to acquaintances in the days after the attack on the Capitol also indicated he wanted to kill people, and threatened violence against President Joe Biden, according to Brundage. Grayson, 51, allegedly told investigators after his arrest Tuesday on multiple federal charges that he would do it all over again if he could, Brundage said.

After hearing testimony through a virtual setting for nearly two hours, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Lenihan decided there was enough probable cause for Grayson to face trial on all charges, but allowed him to be released from custody on $25,000 unsecured bond with various conditions.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo Song said Grayson was “dangerous and violent” and she was concerned he intended to harm others, including witnesses who sent tips to investigators.

“He’s not done,” Song said. “He still wants to hurt people and kill them.”

Lenihan said previous case law left her with little choice but to offer Grayson bond, although he’s not permitted to leave Western Pennsylvania, and will be visited weekly by pretrial workers and must relinquish his firearms.

“There is no question that this is a very serious offense that goes against our democracy, and it did, based on general video we’ve seen, become a very violent situation. So I do take the nature of the charges and situation very seriously,” Lenihan said.

Grayson’s lawyer, Stanley Greenfield, admitted his client was inside the Capitol during the failed attempt to overturn the presidential election, but said Grayson had no intention of hurting anyone despite several private messages beforehand in which he threatened violence.

“He did nothing to break through. He walked in, believing it was OK for him to do that,” Greenfield said of the Capitol’s doors that had already been broken through by other members of the mob who were looking for lawmakers.

Brundage said while they have not yet located any photos or videos of Grayson assaulting anyone, he was standing near the fighting between rioters and police officers protecting the building, and he climbed a wall to enter the Capitol.

“He was in and around the violence,” Brundage said. “He wasn’t in the midst of it, but he could see it. He was relatively close to it.”

Two separate livestream videos Grayson posted on his Facebook page during the attack showed him in the Crypt area of the Capitol and then later in the rotunda under the main dome. Grayson can be seen on surveillance video deep inside the building less than two minutes after lawmakers were evacuated upon learning the Capitol had been breached, Brundage testified.

A photograph entered as evidence also shows Grayson posing with Enrique Tarrio, leader of the extremist group Proud Boys, and Alex Jones, founder of the conspiracy theory network InfoWars, at a previous rally in Washington, D.C. Private messages written by Grayson indicated he assaulted several people with a flagpole during a mid-November rally in the national’s capital supporting former president Donald Trump.

“As with really any other extremist ideologies, these adherents can be driven to commit violent acts,” Brundage said of Grayson’s interest in the QAnon online conspiracy theory. “We’ve seen this more and more in recent years.”

Brundage testified that FBI agents have Grayson’s cellphone and are reviewing its contents, along with items seized during a search of his Calvert Street home in Bridgeville. Brundage said they located the hooded sweatshirt Grayson wore to the Capitol and a Gadsden “Don’t Tread On Me” flag he carried with him. They also found a rifle, shotgun and handgun in his home – all of which were legally owned – but Grayson did not take any of those with him to Washington, D.C., over concerns about that city’s strict firearms laws, Brundage said.

Brundage did not identify who traveled with Grayson on Jan. 6 or if they would face federal charges.

“This is just the beginning of what will be a longer-term review process,” Brundage said.

Grayson’s case is being transferred to the U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, where he is scheduled to appear for another hearing Monday afternoon through video conferencing.

Grayson faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct which impedes the conduct of government business; disruptive conduct in the Capitol buildings; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol buildings; and obstructing or impeding any official proceeding.

Greenfield, his attorney, said Grayson will abide by the terms of his bond while raising a family and providing assistance to his elderly parents.

“He’s not dangerous to the community,” Greenfield said. “He’s not a predator.”

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