New York judge's son arrested over involvement in Capitol violence
Jan 12, 2021
Washington [US], January 13 : A week after the chaotic and violent scenes erupted in the US Capitol, the son of a county judge in New York has been arrested for his role in the deadly attack.
According to a report by The New York Times, Aaron Mostofsky, son of Kings County Supreme Court Judge Steven Mostofsky, was arrested on federal charges, part of a national manhunt by law enforcement officials to identify members of the mob that had forced its way into the Capitol.
As per the New York State election records, both father and son are registered Democrats.
During the Capitol riot, he told The New York Post, "We were cheated...I don't think 75 million people voted for Trump -- I think it was close to 85 million."
He faces charges on stealing government property, illegal entry into a restricted are and disorderly conduct.
Meanwhile, CNN has reported that the Justice Department has filed its first federal grand jury indictments against two defendants linked to the Capitol riot, including against an Alabama man alleged to have parked a truck filled with homemade bombs, guns and ammo two blocks from the Capitol.
Both men -- Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Alabama and Mark Jefferson Leffingwell -- were arrested last week.
According to the indictment, Coffman faces 17 criminal counts, largely for possession of multiple weapons including ammunition, shotgun shells and various guns, including a shotgun, a rifle, 3 pistols and 11 Molotov cocktails without registration in Washington, DC, on January 6, CNN reported.
Leffingwell faces seven counts related to the riot in the Capitol building.
According to the NYT, the Justice Department and the FBI are pursuing more than 150 suspects for prosecution, sifting through tens of thousands of tips after asking for the public's help in identifying those who forced their way into the Capitol.
On January 6, a group of Trump's loyalists stormed the US Capitol building, clashing with police, damaging property, seizing the inauguration stage and occupying the rotunda. The unrest took place after Trump urged his supporters to protest what he claims is a stolen presidential election.
The outgoing President has since been blocked on all major social networks at least until after he is out of office.
