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An ex-girlfriend tipped off the FBI about an alleged US Capitol rioter after he called her a 'moron'

Feb 25, 2021, 08:16 IST
Business Insider
A pro-Trump rioters breaks into the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Richard Michetti has been charged with entering restricted grounds at the US Capitol.
  • The Pennsylvania man was turned in by his ex-girlfriend after he called her a 'moron'.
  • She provided text messages and videos to the FBI.
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A Pennsylvania man was outed by his ex-girlfriend after trying to stop Congress from recognizing President Joe Biden's election victory, according to court documents.

The woman may have decided to tip off law enforcement after being insulted.

"If you can't see the election was stolen, you're a moron," Richard Michetti texted his ex-girlfriend, according to the criminal complaint. "This is our country do you think we live like kings because no one sacrificed anything?"

"[T]he vote was fraud and trump won but they won't audit the votes," he added.

Michetti's former partner provided the FBI with text messages and videos a day after the January 6 insurrection. She also identified him in other images that appear to show him inside the US Capitol.

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The FBI also obtained a receipt showing that he checked into a DC hotel on January 5 and checked out a day later.

Michetti charged with entering a restricted building, violent entry, and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and obstructing the work of Congress.

He was arraigned Tuesday at the US District Court in Philadelphia and released on bail, according to The Morning Call.

Numerous investigations, including those led by elected Republicans, found no evidence that there was any significant fraud in the 2020 election. Nonetheless, former President Donald Trump enflamed his supporters - and threatened state election officials - culminating in the breach of the US Capitol that delayed certification of Biden's win in the Electoral College.

More than 265 people have now been arrested and charged with taking part in the Capitol riot.

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