BY AIDAN GRAHAM
Federal authorities arrested
two Brooklynites on
Aug. 31 for allegedly breaking
into the United States Capitol
building on Jan. 6, hitting
the duo with a slew of charges
for their participation in the
riot.
Prosecutors say the defendants
— 26-year-old Antonio
Ferrigno of Sheepshead Bay,
and 23-year-old Francis Connor
of Dyker Heights — wore
Donald Trump-themed clothing
when they entered the
building during a joint session
of Congress, when legislators
were set to certify President
Joe Biden’s victory in
the 2020 presidential election.
Supporters of then-President
Donald Trump had surrounded
the exterior of the
Capitol for hours on the morning
of Jan. 6, before forcibly
entering the building by pushing
through a line of police offi
cers at around 1:15 pm.
Ferrigno and Connor eventually
followed a crowd of rioters
into the building, before
posing together — along with
another acquaintance, Anton
Lunyk — for several photographs,
COURIER L 16 IFE, SEPTEMBER 3-9, 2021
where their faces are
clearly visible.
Federal authorities later
obtained a warrant for Lunyk’s
cell phone, where they
found he had sent at least one
photo to both Ferrigno and
Connor via Instagram messenger,
according to prosecutors
with the Eastern District
of New York.
A subsequent search of
previously-seized material
from the Capitol showed Ferrigno
in the background of
a video livestream from altright
personality Anthime
Gionet, commonly known
as “Baked Alaska,” who was
also arrested for his role in
the riot.
As further proof of the defendants’
guilt, prosecutors
claim that both men can be
seen on Capitol security camera
footage from inside the
building.
Additionally, after issuing
a subpoena to Verizon, prosecutors
found that Connor’s
phone had been connected to
a cell tower consistent with
someone who was present inside
the Capitol building.
And while searching the
suspects’ phones, authorities
found a group message between
the three men, containing
a series of banter, until
Lunyk alerts the group to an
arrest of a fellow Capitol rioter
— apparently spooking
Ferrigno, who quickly pivots
to unconvincingly denying
any involvement. “I wasn’t in
the capitol so idc,” he wrote.
“That’s not me I don’t have facial
hair.”
Prosecutors were apparently
not swayed by Ferrigno’s
walk-back, and later
charged him and Connor
with trespassing and disorderly
conduct. Lunyk alleged
participation in the Jan. 6 riot
is being litigated in Washington
D.C. District Court.
To date, at least 633 people
have been arrested for participating
in the Capitol riot.
Prosecutors say that this photo
depicts Francis Connor (left) and
Antonio Ferrigno (center) inside
the Capitol building on Jan. 6
Eastern District of New York
Authorities say that both Antonio Ferrigno (circled in red) and Francis
Connor (circled in blue) entered the Capitol building during the riot on
Jan. 6. Eastern District of New York
Two Brooklynites cuffed in
connection to Capitol riot
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