Jan. 6 Riot Suspect Arrested After Frat Brother Reported Him To FBI
An Oklahoma man was arrested last week for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot after one of his college fraternity brothers tipped off the FBI.
Levi Roy Gable, 36, was arrested in Tulsa Thursday and charged with four misdemeanor counts of illegally entering the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and engaging in disruptive conduct.
According to an FBI affidavit, in the days after the riot, Gable’s fraternity brother from roughly 15 years ago notified the FBI. He said he’d seen a series of videos posted on Gable’s Facebook account that appeared to have been filmed from inside the Capitol.
Levi Gable (Photo: U.S. Department of Justice)
“I was among the first people to make our way into the US Capitol Building,” Gable said in one post, per the FBI. “Those in the building first were there in protest of Vice President Mike Pence’s statement that he would not stand with the American people and challenge the results of 2020’s stolen presidential election. The proof is undeniable for anyone who takes an objective look at the accusations of election fraud, provided you are looking somewhere other than the fake news and social media.”
FILE - In this Jan. 6, 2021 file photo police hold off supporters of former President Donald Trump as they tried to break into the Capitol. (Photo: Julio Cortez via Associated Press, File)
Supporters of former President Donald Trump, spurred on by his lies that the 2020 election was rigged, laid siege to the Capitol in an effort to stop the certification of the election by Congress. After Pence refused to participate in the effort, Trump supporters denounced him. Some rioters at the Capitol were heard chanting for him to be hung.
In an interview with the FBI on Jan. 21, 2021, Gable denied ever going inside the Capitol, the affidavit said. However, he admitted that he traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5 and attended the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the riot.
The FBI said it obtained multiple surveillance videos that appeared to show Gable inside the building. Gable deleted his own Facebook posts and allegedly told the FBI he did so because he heard that Jan. 6 rallygoers were being “harassed” for attending.
Gable was released from custody after agreeing to pay $10,000 should he miss any future court appearances, according to The Oklahoman.
To date, more than 800 people have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the Capitol last year, including over 250 individuals who have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
The FBI has received thousands of tips, many linked to the social media activity of rioters, and its investigation is ongoing.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
