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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — An Imperial Beach man was indicted for allegedly storming the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection, federal prosecutors said in a release on Friday.
Joshua Youngerman, 23, was charged with six criminal counts — one felony and multiple misdemeanors — in connection to the deadly riot that disrupted a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.
According to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Youngerman entered the Capitol at about 2:37 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021 after attending the “Stop the Steal” rally held by former President Donald Trump.
He was seen on the Capitol’s closed-circuit television footage climbing up a rope on its northwest wall near a stairway just before entering the building, prosecutors say.
After entering the building, the U.S. Attorney says Youngerman proceeded to the Rotunda of the Capitol building before exiting through the Upper West Terrace Door a short time later.
He was arrested by FBI agents on July 24, 2023 in San Diego as a part of the years-long investigation into the attack.
In the course of the investigation, prosecutors say Youngerman was identified as an alleged member of a group on the platform Telegram known as “The California Patriots – DC Brigade,” or “DC Brigade.”
This group was used to communicate and coordinate travel to Washington, D.C. for the “Stop the Steal” rally that led up to the breach of the Capitol building.
Prosecutors say the “About” section of the Telegram group described it as a place that would “serve as the Comms for able bodied individuals that are going to DC on Jan. 6. Many of us have not met before and we are all ready and willing to be engaged in this fight.”
Youngerman was involved in the group’s chat, prosecutors add, introducing himself by saying he had “[n]o police or military experience” but has “had to throw hands on multiple occasions and have a little bit of MMA training.”
According to the U.S. Attorney, he was also active on Twitter, now called X, ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection, sharing statements like “Then I guess us Patriots will just riot then. Show what their actions has caused,” about the 2020 election results.
Following the events of Jan. 6, prosecutors say Youngerman took to social media again to share a series of posts about his time in Washington, D.C. In one such post, he reportedly said “I am in full support of storming and occupying the Capital from the inside and out. That was the original intent for many. We came to claim back our house.”
The charges against Youngerman were updated in a superseding indictment filed on Wednesday. With the indictment, he faces one felony charge for obstruction of a federal proceeding, as well as multiple misdemeanors including:
- Disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds.
- Knowingly entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.
- Stepping and climbing on any erection or architectural feature on Capitol grounds.
- Unlawful parading, demonstrating or picketing on any Capitol grounds.
Youngerman is scheduled to be arraigned for the new charges on April 30 in a Washington, D.C. federal court. He previously plead not guilty to all counts.
Since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,387 individuals have been charged for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol, according to the U.S. Attorney. Of those, 493 people have been charged with felonies tied to assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
Youngerman is one of at least nine San Diego County residents who have been arrested or charged in connection to the Jan. 6 attacks — several of whom are already serving out sentences for those crimes.
Another San Diego resident, Ashli Babbitt, was among the five people who died during the attack. Babbitt was fatally shot by a U.S. Capitol police officer while attempting to climb through a broken window next to a barricaded door that leads to the Speaker’s Lobby.
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