Crime & Safety
FBI Arrests Malden Man After Capitol Riot
Mark Sahady, vice president of the group behind Boston's Straight Pride Parade, was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force Tuesday.
MALDEN, MA — A controversial Malden resident was arrested Tuesday in connection with the riot at the U.S. Capitol building, the FBI said. Mark Sahady, 46, is the vice president of Super Happy Fun America, the group that organized the 2019 Straight Pride Parade in Boston.
Sahady's role in the group has drawn the ire of some of his fellow residents. The organization's website bills it as an advocate for the "straight community," bearing the motto, "It's Great to be Straight."
In the months leading up to Jan. 6, Sahady posted on social media about planning a demonstration against Biden to "send a message" to tyranny, according to court documents.
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"It's important that millions of Americans show up in DC on January 6th to support the legitimate President, Donald Trump, and show Democrats what they will be facing if they continue to try to steal the Presidency," Twitter user Mark Shady, who the FBI believes is Sahady, wrote Dec. 20.
Subsequent posts from the Twitter account include "We have 7 buses coming. There are still spaces left" on Dec. 31, and "January 6th – Washington DC – it begins," posted Jan. 5, according to court documents.
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Sahady tweeted picture of himself on a bus the night of Jan. 5 with the caption "Bus 1 of 11 coming to Washington DC. See you there!" Pictured with him is Ianni, who the FBI alleges helped Super Happy Fun America organize 11 buses to take people to the "Stop the Steal" rally.
The FBI used social media to track Sahady and Ianni the day of the riot. But an agent ultimately used a Getty Images photo to corroborate the pair's presence inside the Capitol during the riot, according to court documents.
The photo was first circulated Jan. 9 by Gregg Housh, a Boston-based activist. The FBI confirmed it was taken inside the Capitol building and identified Sahady and Ianni as two of the people pictured, court documents allege.
Sahady faces charges of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority.
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