WASHINGTON, DC — A Denver man was arrested this week in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol breach after the FBI confirmed he was spotted in multiple photographs that day and had allegedly assaulted a police officer.
Todd Branden Casey, 53, is now one of more than 1,100 people arrested for crimes related to Jan. 6.
He faces felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, plus misdemeanor charges of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, impeding passage through the capitol grounds or buildings, and act of physical violence in the capitol grounds or buildings, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Casey was arrested on Aug. 30 in Georgetown. He was identified as #125 in the FBI's photo collection of people seen at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. YouTube videos posted online also helped determine his movements from that afternoon, according to the criminal complaint against Casey.
According to court documents, by 2 p.m. that afternoon, police had set up a line on the West Plaza on Capitol grounds to protect the U.S. Capitol from the rioters. Bike racks served as a metal barrier. Around 2:11 p.m., police body cam footage showed a person later identified as Casey approach an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and shout expletives at the officer.
About a minute later, Casey is seen slamming his hands against metal barriers and taunting officers by shouting, "Take that swing at me, (expletive). Take that swing. I ain’t afraid. What are you saying? Speak up!” and “I would have come locked and loaded if I knew this was happening," according to the DOJ.
At 2:27 p.m., Casey is heard in the footage telling rioters to push against the barriers. About one minute later, he shoved a MPD officer, according to the DOJ.
At 2:34 p.m., numerous rioters breached the West Plaza. Several of them swarmed around a MPD officer, including Casey, who grabbed the officer by the shoulder and appeared to shove the officer toward the U.S. Capitol until another officer was able to pull Casey off, according to the DOJ.
By 3 p.m., Casey was near the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, which was blocked by police officers, though he was able to enter the tunnel at least three times, the DOJ said. He pushed against the police line with others before he was expelled from the tunnel by police around 3:18 p.m.
A publicly available video showed Casey after he had been pushed out of the tunnel. He appeared to be rubbing his eyes, like he was experiencing the effects of chemical irritants, according to the criminal complaint.
In its subsequent investigation, the FBI reviewed accounts that appeared to belong to Casey on Facebook and Parlor. They also tracked down his phone number and area of residency.
In June 2022, the FBI interviewed a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputy about a traffic incident that involved Casey, according to the criminal complaint. The deputy said on May 10, 2021, Casey called the sheriff's office to report that somebody had thrown something at his car and broken a window. The deputy, who was wearing a body-worn camera, responded to document the incident. The sheriff's office provided the FBI with that footage, in which Casey verbally identified himself to the deputy, according to the criminal complaint.
In January 2023, the Golden Police Department received an online tip with the subject line reading "January 6th #125 – AFO in your city!" It included a link to an online profile for Casey. The FBI said it believed this was the same person as #125 in the Jan. 6 photos and from the Jefferson County incident.
The FBI determined that Casey had flown from Denver to Baltimore through a layover in Charlotte on Jan. 5 and flew back on Jan. 7. Records from U.S. Bank showed he had paid for parking at a lot near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, according to the complaint.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting this case.
Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.
Below are Colorado people identified as being allegedly involved, or convicted, in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack:
- Todd Branden Casey of Denver was arrested on Aug. 30 in Georgetown, Colorado. He faces felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers, plus multiple misdemeanor charges.
- Jacob Clark of Trinidad was arrested in April 2021 on multiple charges in connection to the Jan. 6 riot. He demanded police officers to stand down during the attack.
- Glen Wes Lee Croy, of Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing inside the Capitol in August 2021. He was sentenced in November to 90 days of house arrest along with 14 days in a community correctional facility. He called himself an idiot.
- Tyler Earl Ethridge of Colorado Springs was arrested in July 2022 in Denver and faces six federal charges for his participation in the riot. He is a pastor who graduated from Charis Bible College in Woodland Park.
- Robert Gieswein of Woodland Park was arrested and faced multiple charges in January 2021 in connection to the Jan. 6 riot, including assault on an officer "with a spray canister, temporary barrier, and baseball bat," according to his arrest affidavit. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge in early March 2023. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.
- Jonathan David Grace of Colorado Springs was arrested on March 30, 2023 on felony and misdemeanor charges.
- Logan Grover of Erie was charged in April 2021 with disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on capitol grounds, and demonstrating in a capitol building. He pleaded guilty in July 2022. He served in the Army Reserve for nearly 10 years and was deployed to Iraq, according to The Denver Post. He was sentenced to a month of house arrest and two years' probation in February 2023.
- Thomas Patrick Hamner of Peyton was arrested and charged in November 2021. Videos allegedly showed him fighting with Capitol and Metropolitan Police. In September 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
- Lisa Ann Homer of Colorado Springs was arrested in November 2021 in Colorado Springs. She faces charges of illegally entering the capitol, disorderly and disruptive conduct on capitol grounds, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a capitol building. She was sentenced to three years' probation, 60 hours of community service, a $5,000 fine and $500 restitution.
- Jennifer Horvath of Colorado Springs was arrested and charged in May 2022 on multiple federal charges. She was located after FBI agents linked her to her boyfriend Glen Wes Lee Croy (listed above), who was also arrested, charged and sentenced for his involvement. She was sentenced in November 2022 to 36 months of probation, including 90 days of home confinement and 14 days at a residential facility, plus a $500 restitution.
- Klete Keller, an Olympian from Colorado Springs, pleaded guilty to obstructing an official proceeding after storming the U.S. Capitol in September 2021. He faces 21 to 27 months in prison. His sentencing date is TBD.
- Avery Carter MacCracken of San Miguel County was charged in December 2021 with assaulting officers in the Jan. 6 riot. He was arrested in Norwood on six federal charges. He was captured on videos and in photos fighting with U.S. Capitol Police officers.
- Patrick Montgomery of Douglas County was charged in January 2021 with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. According to an affidavit for his arrest, federal investigators were tipped off by someone who saw Montgomery in photos from inside the Capitol posted to Facebook. He pleaded not guilty.
- Daniel Michael Morrissey was charged in federal court in November 2021 for illegally entering the U.S. Capitol. He pleaded guilty to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds and was sentenced to 45 days of incarceration and 26 months of probation in mid-August.
- Hunter Palm of Colorado Springs was arrested in May 2021 after he allegedly entered U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Jan. 6. He was identified to federal investigators by a family member. He was arrested in May 2021 and indicted the following month. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.
- Jeffrey Sabol of Jefferson County is accused of dragging a police officer down steps to be beaten by an American flag outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. A federal judge denied him bail in April 2021. After the attack, prosecutors said he tried to fly to Switzerland.
- Timothy Williams of Trinidad was charged in June 2021 with multiple federal crimes. FBI agents found Williams on videos of the rioters inside the Capitol that day.
