FBI arrests New York man who filmed himself smoking pot inside Capitol during riot

Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News
·2 min read

NEW YORK — The FBI on Tuesday arrested a Long Island man accused of filming himself smoking pot inside the nation’s highest house of government during the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.

Greg Rubenacker of Farmingdale, who the feds say works as a DJ, was expected to be arraigned on charges in Central Islip federal court for his alleged role in the violent insurrection that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

The FBI tracked down Rubenacker after one of his Snapchat followers forwarded the feds incriminating screenshots from his account posted on the day of the siege.

“Holy s---! This is history! We took the Capitol!” Rubenacker narrates on one of the videos he posted online, federal court documents state.

Following that video, Rubenacker posted more showing him inside the Capitol Rotunda smoking a blue electronic cigarette or other vaping device, according to the documents.

“He inhales from the device and blows out smoke into the Rotunda on a number of occasions,” court papers charge. “Recording from below and pointing up showing his face and the Rotunda ceiling, (he) looks into the camera and says, ‘America, baby. What a time.’”

Rubenacker was grassed on by one of his former schoolmates, according to court documents, and the FBI was then able to square his identity with records from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Another video Rubenacker posted shows him sitting near a painting in the Rotunda with other pro-Trump rioters.

“Rubenacker now has his brown hood down and is smoking what appears to be a marijuana cigarette (or ‘joint’). Early on, Rubenacker looks into the camera and says, ‘Smoke out the Capitol, baby,’” court documents charge.

Someone in the video is heard asking, “How many joints we have?” before counting all the people smoking, which includes Rubenacker — who holds his blunt up in the air, according to the video obtained by the feds.

“Hell, yeah,” Rubenacker is then heard saying, court docs state, before taking another toke.