BY BEN BRACHFELD
A Midwood man was arrested
by federal agents Tuesday
morning on suspicion that
he participated in the Jan. 6
riot at the US Capitol.
Anton Lunyk, 26, was
charged with breaking into a
federal building, disorderly
conduct, and attempting to
disrupt the fl ow of government
business. He appeared
virtually before Chief Magistrate
Judge Cheryl Pollak of
the Eastern District of New
York for arraignment the afternoon
of May 11, and was released
without bail. His next
virtual court date is scheduled
for Thursday, May 20 at
1 pm in front of a Washington
DC federal judge.
The judge ordered Lunyk to
surrender his passport, restrict
his travel only to the New York
area and Washington DC (the
latter only for court hearings
and meeting with attorneys),
and to not enter the grounds
of the US Capitol or any State
Capitol for political reasons
until the matter is resolved.
COURIER L 12 IFE, MAY 14-20, 2021
Prosecutors attempted to
ban Lunyk from “participating
in political rallies, gatherings,
or social media exchanges”
as part of his release
conditions, but Lunyk’s defense
attorney, Michael Weil
of Federal Defenders, countered
that that would violate
his client’s First Amendment
rights. The judge sided with
Weil, but Lunyk will still have
to seek approval from pretrial
services before attending any
political rally or “posting social
media commentary.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation
was tipped off to
Lunyk’s participation in the
deadly riot at the Capitol after
someone who knew him from
college recognized his picture
in the background of a tweet
from the New York Post. That
image showed Lunyk in an unspecifi
ed senator’s offi ce with
the far-right white supremacist
media personality Baked
Alaska, who was livestreaming
the riot.
Another witness told the
FBI that Lunyk had posted a
selfi e on Instagram leading
up to Jan. 6, wearing a Make
America Great Again hat,
with the caption “this is going
to be an interesting next few
weeks who else is going to DC
this week?”
A man dressed the same as
the one behind Baked Alaska
can also be seen on surveillance
cameras breaking into
the Capitol complex with a
crowd. License plate readers
reportedly captured a car
with plates matching Lunyk’s
leaving New York on the night
of Jan. 5 and returning the
next night in the hours after
the riot.
Lunyk is only the latest
Brooklynite to be arrested
in connection with the melee
in DC. Aaron Mostofsky, son
of Brooklyn Supreme Court
Judge Steven Mostofsky and
also of Midwood, was arrested
in January after his fl amboyant
appearance made him one
of the most notorious of the
Capitol rapscallions. A Sheepshead
Bay sanitation worker
was also cuffed in January after
Anton Lunyk, pictured in the red hat, was arrested by federal agents on
May 11 for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
US Attorney’s Offi ce for the Eastern District of New York
being seen in photos from
the riot, and 19-year-old Dovid
Schwartzberg turned himself
in to the feds in April after he
was seen on video leaving the
Capitol on Jan. 6.
Last month, Brendan Hunt
of Ridgewood, Queens was
found guilty in federal court of
threatening to kill lawmakers
online including House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer, and
Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez,
though he did not actually participate
in the riots.
Lunyk could not be reached
for comment, and his employer,
insurance adjuster Rubin &
Rosen, declined to comment.
Midwood man cuffed in
connection to Capitol riot
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