Crime & Safety
LI Lawyer, Ex-School Board Member, Attacked Officers In Jan. 6 Riot: Feds
East Williston's John O'Kelly, a former school board member, is accused of assaulting police officers at the Jan. 6 riots.
EAST WILLISTON, NY — A Nassau man has been arrested and charged with two felonies after prosecutors said he attacked officers during the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
John O'Kelly, 66, of East Williston, assaulted officers, including trying to take an officer's baton, and pushed a metal bike rack into a line of officers, federal prosecutors said.
O'Kelly, an attorney who was once a board member at the East Williston School District, also served on the Lawyer’s Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, a conspiracy group that sued the U.S. government in 2021 alleging that explosives were planted at the World Trade Center, NBC News reported.
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The FBI arrested O'Kelly on Thursday at his East Williston home. He is charged with assaulting law enforcement officers and interfering with law enforcement officers during a civil disorder, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
O'Kelly's images were shared by the FBI in April 2021, part of a nationwide search for those who breached the U.S. Capitol building using social media and other images. His images were No. 294, and online amateur investigators dubbed him"MidWhiteCrisis."
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Please share across all platforms. Do you Know this person?? Please contact the FBI with photo 294-AFO Please do not post names on social media #MidWhiteCrisis #DCRiots #CapitolRiots More info https://t.co/xMs61liDyD pic.twitter.com/NCIIdTNzXQ
— #SeditionHunters (@SeditionHunters) April" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/SeditionHu... 5, 2021
According to an FBI affidavit acquired by NBC News, a tipster identified O'Kelly using "open source photo ID software." The FBI then used facial recognition technology to compare the Jan. 6, 2021 footage to O'Kelly's driver's license.
The #FBI continues to seek information on individuals involved in the violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. If you think you know the person in these photos, submit a tip at https://t.co/iL7sD5efWD. Refer to photo 294 in your tip. pic.twitter.com/87QddL1y1c
— FBI (@FBI) April" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/FBI/status... 9, 2021
O'Kelly was released on a $100,000 bond after his Thursday arraignment, NBC News reported.
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