Fact check: Image of alleged Paul Pelosi attacker is from 2013, not Jan. 6 Capitol riot

The claim: Image shows Paul Pelosi's attacker filming the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol

Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was attacked by a hammer-wielding man at their San Francisco home in the early morning hours of Oct. 28. The alleged attacker, David DePape, was reportedly looking for the speaker at the time, according to San Francisco Police Chief William Scott.

Since the attack, social media users have spread misinformation about DePape, including a claim that he was present at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

"Left is Paul's Friend Right is cameraman from J6 Hmmmmmm?" reads the text of an Oct. 30 Facebook post that appears to include two photos of DePape. The first shows a headshot while the second shows him holding a video camera in front of a building lined with marble columns.

A similar claim was shared more than 300 times in four days before it was deleted. Other iterations of the claim were shared on Facebook and Instagram.

But the image of DePape holding the video camera is from a 2013 nudist wedding, not the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol building.

USA TODAY reached out to several users who shared the post for comment.

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Image is from 2013

The image of DePape with a camera is from a 2013 nudist wedding in San Francisco. It can be found on AP Images with a caption that reads in part, "David DePape, right, records the nude wedding of Gypsy Taub outside City Hall on Dec. 19, 2013, in San Francisco."

The other image of DePape featured in the Facebook post is also from 2013 and can likewise be found on AP Images. "David Depape is shown in Berkeley, Calif., on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013," reads part of the image's caption.

Both images are featured in a slideshow included an Oct. 29 story from the Associated Press titled, "Suspect in assault at Pelosi home had posted about QAnon."

USA TODAY found no evidence to suggest that DePape was at the Capitol during the insurrection. There is no mention of him being at the riot on the Department of Justice website, and his name does not appear on Insider's list of all those arrested in connection to Jan. 6.

Fact check: False claim that security cameras malfunctioned during break-in at Pelosi residence

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that an image shows DePape, Paul Pelosi's alleged attacker, filming the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The image of DePape with a camera is from a December 2013 nudist wedding in San Francisco.

Our fact-check sources:

• USA TODAY, Oct. 28, Nancy Pelosi’s husband suffers skull fracture after attack; suspect charged with attempted murder

• USA TODAY, Nov. 2, Fact check: Paul Pelosi and alleged attacker were both clothed when police arrived

• Associated Press, Oct. 29, Suspect in assault at Pelosi home had posted about QAnon 

• Associated Press Images, accessed Nov. 2, PELOSI HUSBAND ASSAULTED SUSPECT

• SFGATE, Dec. 19, 2013, S.F. couple pulls off their nude wedding

• Insider, accessed Nov. 2, At least 928 people have been charged in the Capitol insurrection so far. This searchable table shows them all.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Image of alleged Paul Pelosi attacker is from 2013