Greensboro man charged as Capitol riot fugitive

Guy Lucas, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·1 min read
64

Sep. 27—GUILFORD COUNTY — A Greensboro man who so far is the only person from Guilford County to face charges stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, riot and storming of the U.S. Capitol was arrested Sunday as a fugitive.

Darrell Fitzgerald Neely, 52, originally was arrested last October in Washington, D.C., and released while awaiting trial, but his pretrial release was revoked in early September because he had been out of contact with the U.S. Pretrial Services Agency. He was arrested Sunday in Greensboro on charges of being a fugitive from justice and possession of stolen goods.

Neely is accused of stealing a U.S. Capitol Police officer's coat, badge and hat and also taking four china plates from inside the Capitol, according to an FBI agent's affidavit.

Neely is charged with theft of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

The FBI first received tips about Neely's involvement three days after the riot from three people who work with Neely at Global Enlightenment Radio Network, who said that Neely made video calls while inside the Capitol and wearing the police jacket.

One of the witnesses said that Neely boasted that he had attacked an officer and taken the jacket, badge and baseball cap from the officer, but the officer later told the FBI that he had taken them off to decontaminate after being sprayed and was not able to find them again.

During interviews with FBI agents, Neely admitted going inside the Capitol and showed videos and photos he had taken on his cellphone, according to an affidavit by an agent.