One year later, search continues for Jan. 6 suspects in South Jersey

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Almost one year after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities are continuing to identify insurrection suspects in South Jersey.

FBI agents recently arrested two men in Burlington County after separate investigations into their alleged roles in the riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.

Investigators arrested Michael Gianos, 33, of Marlton on Dec. 1, after linking him to another South Jersey suspect who was charged in March, Lawrence Stackhouse of Blackwood, a court record says.

A search of Stackhouse's cell phone uncovered incriminating text exchanges with both Gianos and a Philadelphia woman, 30-year-old Rachel Myers, who also was arrested Dec. 1, authorities say.

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Separately, FBIK agents arrested 29-year-old Marcos Panayiotou in Wrightstown on Dec. 2. Panayiotou, a Marine reservist, wore a hoodie with the logo of his former military unit as he roamed the halls of Congress, according to an affidavit intended to support the charges against him.

"Additionally, he wore a red hat with the phrase “MAKE POLITICIANS AFRAID AGAIN” on the front of the hat," the affidavit says.

At least 11 South Jersey residents now await trial for alleged Capitol-riot offenses.

That compares to a nationwide total of more than 725 suspects, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

More arrests are likely as “the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the attack continues to move forward at an unprecedented speed and scale,” the federal prosecutor's office said Friday.

It said the Justice Department's "resolve to hold accountable those who committed crimes on Jan. 6, 2021, has not, and will not, wane."

The statement noted rioters assaulted about 140 police offices and caused an estimated $1.5 million in damage during the insurrection.

Multiple photographs place the South Jersey suspects inside the Capitol during the riot, including images of Gianos, Myers and Stackhouse in a hallway outside the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to court records.

Similarly, photos show Panayiotou in a hoodie from the 1st Maintenance Battalion at Camp Pendleton in California.

The court record says a tipster alerted the FBI to Panayiotou's alleged presence in the Capitol, describing him as a former New Jersey resident who moved to Philadelphia after becoming a reservist in October 2020.

A family member also told investigators about Panayiotou's alleged role in the riot. The relative "described Panayiotou as very patriotic but 'does stupid things sometimes,'" the affidavit says.

The rioters entered the Capitol in an effort to thwart the counting of electoral votes in the race won by President Joe Biden.

In a text exchange several days before the riot, Myers and Stackhouse discussed a possible conflict on Jan. 6 with counter-protesters, whom Myers described with a homophobic slur, the affidavit continues.

"And if I died it would be something I was so passionate for so whatever lol," wrote Myers, who's identified as an employee of a Philadelphia strip club.

"You're not dying, rach," Stackhouse responded.

"I'll be marching with the PBs so they stay away from me," said Myers in an apparent reference to the Proud Boys nationalist group.

When questioned by FBI agents after his arrest, Stackhouse said he had stayed in a Washington, D.C., hotel with Myers and that she had entered the Capitol during the riot, adds the 33-page affidavit.

Messages between Gianos and Myers reflected "their belief that the presidential election had been 'stolen,' their knowledge about the (Jan. 6 electoral-vote) certification process and their desire to stop that process," according to the affidavit.

It alleges Myers in December 2020 sent Gianos a tweet from Trump that promoted a "big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild."

"This is going to be an event to remember," Gianos said in a Facebook exchange with Myers.

In another exchange with Myers, Gianos described Stackhouse as "good people" and noted the two men had been together "at the atilis protest," an apparent reference to a show of conservative support for a Bellmawr gym that repeatedly defied pandemic restrictions.

The affidavit alleges Gianos sent Facebook messages to unnamed individuals that said he had "stormed capital" and had watched rioters take a laptop from Pelosi's office.

But the court filing also notes the suspects' apparent concern over consequences for riot participants.

"Those people gonna go to jail …" Gianos texted Stackhouse on Jan. 7, according to the affidavit.

Stackhouse allegedly responded with "Ehhh" and told Gianos "don't regret one thing."

Similarly, Myers on Jan. 7 texted Stackhouse, "Don't tell anyone you were there. Just move forward and we will deal with whatever comes our way if it happens."

One day later, she allegedly asserted in a Facebook comment that "NO RIOT ever happened."

"The media are absolute liars," Myers allegedly wrote. "The cops opened those doors for everyone to walk right into the Capitol."

Federal prosecutors did not seek detention for Gianos, Myers and Panayiotou, who could not be reached for comment. Stackhouse is free on his own recognizance.

Gianos and Myers are charged with entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

Panayiotou also faces those charges, as well as accusations of disorderly conduct in a Capitol building and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

The charges are only allegations. Gianos, Myers and Panayiotou have not been convicted in the case.

Stackhouse, who was 33 at the time of his arrest, has pleaded not guilty.to charges that include violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

Jim Walsh covers public safety, economic development and other beats for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Michael Gianos and Rachel Myers accused of taking part in Capitol riot