Month: August 2023

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Florida Man Arrested on Felony and Misdemeanor Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON — A Florida man has been arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges, including assaulting multiple law enforcement officers, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

            Marcus Clint Martin, 32, of Blountstown, Florida, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers. In addition to the felonies, Martin is charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds.

            Martin was arrested today in Panama City, Florida, and is expected to make his initial appearance in the Northern District of Florida.

            According to court documents, Martin was identified in multiple open-source videos and images as present among the crowd of rioters on Jan. 6, 2021. In one image posted to the Metropolitan Police Department’s Be-On-the-Look-Out slides, Martin is seen atop a scaffolding erected for the inauguration. In another video, Martin is seen removing metal barricades in front of the U.S. Capitol building near the inauguration stands. Martin is then seen chanting, “Who’s house?! Our house” while beating on his chest.

            Court documents say that sometime after 1:00 pm, on the west front of the Capitol, Martin is seen on open-source video fighting multiple law enforcement officers. The video depicts Martin rendering aid to an injured rioter, then preventing law enforcement officers from attempting to assist the rioter. The video shows Martin shoving one unidentified United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer away from the injured individual and using his shoulder to push away another.

            After this incident, a USCP officer is pushed over by the crowd of rioters, and Martin is seen joining a pile of others on top of the downed officer.  Martin is again seen using his shoulder to shove USCP officers attempting to assist the downed officer and pushing another unidentified USCP officer.  Martin is also later seen attempting to grab a metal barricade in front of a line of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers on the west front.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

            The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Tampa and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Jacksonville Field Office, U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

            Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

            A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Washington State Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Charges for Actions During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            A Washington state man pleaded guilty today to felony charges, including assaulting a law enforcement officer, related to his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

             Tucker Weston, 34, of Lynnwood, Washington, pleaded guilty today in the District of Columbia to two felony offenses, including assault on a federal officer and civil disorder. U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton scheduled a sentencing hearing for Nov. 21, 2023.

            According to court documents, Weston traveled from Seattle, Washington, to Washington, D.C., to attend the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse. On the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, Weston attended the rally and, afterward, marched with other protestors toward the U.S. Capitol. Near the Capitol, Weston participated in removing a metal barricade on the Capitol grounds, which enabled the rioters to advance closer to the building.

            Court documents say that Weston then reached the Lower West Plaza of the grounds and confronted a group of police officers that stood between the crowd and the Capitol building. At around 1:02 p.m., court documents state that during this confrontation, Weston and a group of rioters shoved police officers who attempted to prevent the rioters from getting closer. After breaching the Lower West Plaza, Weston made his way to the south side of the plaza. Here, Weston joined other rioters in using a bike rack to push back against law enforcement. Weston then approached another group of officers attempting to subdue another rioter and shoved those officers.

            Weston then left this area and moved up the northwest stairs to the Upper West Terrace and entered the Capitol building through a broken window next to the Senate Wing door. Weston remained in the building only briefly before exiting through the Senate Wing Door and making his way to the North Portico. 

            Court documents say that law enforcement officers removed Weston and others from the North Portico, and Weston then left the area and traveled to the northeast corner of the Capitol grounds, where he found a group of rioters vandalizing media equipment. Weston and other rioters then kicked and smashed the equipment. After kicking the equipment, Weston received a bag of stolen media equipment from another rioter and walked away.

            This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

            This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Seattle Field Office and the FBI’s Washington Field Office, which identified Weston as AFO #437 on its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

            In the 30 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,069 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 350 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.

           Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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Defense News: Naval Reactors Celebrates 75 Years

Source: United States Navy

In 1946, shortly after the end of World War II, Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act, which established the Atomic Energy Commission to succeed the wartime Manhattan Project and gave it sole responsibility for developing atomic energy. At this time, Capt. Hyman G. Rickover was assigned to the Navy Bureau of Ships, the organization responsible for ship design.

Rickover recognized the military implications of successfully harnessing atomic power for submarine propulsion and knew it would be necessary for the Navy to work with the AEC to develop such a program. He and several officers and civilians were sent to the AEC laboratory at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for a year to learn the fundamentals of nuclear reactor technology.

Although theories of nuclear power were understood, the technology to build and operate a shipboard nuclear propulsion plant did not exist. There were several reactor concepts; the real challenge was to develop this technology and transform the theoretical into the practical. New materials had to be developed, components designed, and fabrication techniques worked out. Furthermore, installing and operating a steam propulsion plant inside the confines of a submarine and under the unique deep-sea pressure conditions raised a number of technical difficulties. Faced with these obstacles, the team at Oak Ridge knew that to build a naval nuclear propulsion plant would require a substantial commitment of resources and a new level of Government and Industry commitment.

Rickover returned to Washington and used every opportunity from his post at Navy Bureau of Ships to argue the need to establish a Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. On August 4, 1948, the Navy created the new Nuclear Power Branch (Code 390) with Rickover as its head within the Bureau’s Research Division.

Just seven years later, Rickover and his team put the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus (SSN 571) to sea. Three years later, on Aug. 3, 1958, Nautilus accomplished the impossible when the ship reached the geographic North Pole, 90 degrees North. Cmdr. William Anderson was in command and had a crew of 116 Sailors aboard.

“Such a journey was previously unthinkable,” said Adm. Frank Caldwell, Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. “But this single event demonstrated the awesome, asymmetric advantage that nuclear power afforded our submarines and America’s national defense. The Nautilus could go to any ocean in the world, anytime, and remain there virtually as long as desired.”

Ten years after the program started, the Navy was sailing four fully-operational nuclear-powered submarines and building the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), with eight reactor plants. In the next two years, the first strategic ballistic missile submarine, USS George Washington (SSBN 598) went on its first strategic deterrent patrol.

Over the last 75 years, Naval Reactors has operated 273 reactors plants, taken 562 reactor cores critical including 33 different designs, and steamed more than 171 million miles with over 7,500 reactor years of safe operations.  The Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and the Navy’s nuclear-powered warships have demonstrated clear superiority in defending the United States – from the Cold War to today’s unconventional threats and strategic competition – Naval Reactors ensures the American Sailor and the nuclear-fleet are ready to fight and win the nation’s wars.

There is no substitute for presence and nuclear-powered aircraft carriers remain the most survivable and versatile airfields in the world, while nuclear-powered fast attack and large payload submarines hold adversaries at risk in both contested seas and open oceans. Today, the Navy operates 99 reactors and 79 nuclear-powered warships – including the largest, most capable warship ever built, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) which is on its maiden deployment in European waters, underway on nuclear power.

“It’s an exciting time in the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; we are fully embracing our responsibility to continue powering maritime dominance for the next 75 years,” said Caldwell.