Tucson Siblings With Proud Boys Ties Charged In Capitol Riot

TUCSON, AZ — Two Tucson siblings with ties to the Proud Boys white nationalist group were arrested and charged in Arizona Thursday in connection with the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Cory and Felicia Konold, a brother and sister from Tucson, were taken into custody and charged with several offenses, the FBI said. The two were charged with counts of conspiracy, civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

It is unclear if the Konolds have retained lawyers. Patch has reached out to the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice for comment.

The FBI identified the siblings based on photos and videos taken at the riot, as well as from social media posts and cell phone location data, according to a criminal complaint. The photos showed the two in tactical gear marching alongside members of the Proud Boys.

The FBI designated the Proud Boys a far-right extremist group in 2018. The group is known to be devotees of former President Donald Trump. The group describes itself as "Western chauvinists."

The Konolds were charged along with Christopher Kuehne and Louis Enrique Colon, with whom they marched at the Capitol, according to the complaint. William Chrestman was also named. All three men are from Kansas City.

Cory and Felicia were at the front of the crowd just before the Capitol was breached and helped obstruct law enforcement officers trying to hold back the mob, the FBI said in the complaint. Shortly after, the two “moved past the barrier and placed themselves at or near the front of the crowd at the next police barrier.”

The Konolds and their Kansas City companions appeared to gesture silently and communicate with one another as they entered the building, indicating that their actions were planned, the FBI said.

A video Felicia Konold posted on social media showed her celebrating her recruitment into a Kansas City chapter of the Proud Boys, the FBI also alleged in the complaint. She also “displayed a two-sided ‘challenge coin’ that appears to have markings that designate it as belonging to the Kansas City Proud Boys.”

“I never could [unintelligible] have imagined having that much of an influence on the events that unfolded today. Dude, people were willing to follow,” Konold said of the crowd in a Snapchat video, according to the complaint.

At least three people died in the events at the Capitol, including a member of the pro-Trump mob and a Capitol police officer.

The Konolds join Phoenix native Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," and fellow Arizona native Andrew Hatley in being charged in federal court in connection with their participation in the Capitol unrest.