Accused of holding the door open for rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, grabbing and pushing a Capitol police officer and spending a total of 29 minutes in the building, a Laramie, Wyoming, man has been indicted and arrested.
August Raymond Garcia could spend more than a decade in prison if convicted on four federal crimes alleging he breached the Capitol with other rioters and wrestled with a Capitol police officer, according to a statement the U.S. Attorney's Office dispatched Wednesday.
Garcia wasn’t identified as one of the Capitol rioters until a tipster identified him nine months later from a be-on-the-lookout notice the FBI published after the breach.
The tipster identified Garcia based on open-source research, the U.S. Attorney's Office says in its Wednesday statement.
The FBI gathered a photo of Garcia from his LinkedIn account and brought it to his local pastor July 8, 2024, says an affidavit attached to the press release.
The pastor had baptized Garcia two weeks prior, the document says, adding that he “positively identified Garcia” in both the LinkedIn image and in a photo of a closed-circuit TV still taken from the Capitol riot scenes.
That same day Garcia called the Cheyenne FBI office saying his pastor told him the FBI was looking for him. He acknowledged he was at the Capitol three years earlier but said he didn’t take part in any violence or do anything illegal, the affidavit says.
Footage
The affidavit shows still images from video and alleges that in one of them, Garcia was holding a bag of what appeared to be zip ties. In another, he allegedly watched as another rioter rammed an object against the Capitol’s door, then later shattered a window and reached through it to open the door.
Federal authorities allege, based on the video, that Garcia stood behind the other rioter, patted him on the back, then held the door open for other rioters.
“Garcia was one of the very first rioters to breach the Capitol via the Parliamentarian door,” the affidavit says.
It alleges that Garcia charged at a Capitol Police officer, wrapped his arms around the officer’s body, pushed him back several feet down the hallway, pulled him against a wall and finally shoved him.
Garcia and other rioters charged a police line, which the lone officer was able to break away and join, while chanting “USA! USA!” the document says.
The video allegedly shows Garcia exiting the Parliamentarian door by which he entered 19 minutes after his entry.
Laramie, Wyoming, resident August Raymond Garcia haa been indicted for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. A 15-page indictment dated Sept. 6 and released Wednesday includes photos allegedly showing Garcia at the Capitol that day. The DOJ has circled him in yellow. (Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice) 
Laramie, Wyoming, resident August Raymond Garcia haa been indicted for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. A 15-page indictment dated Sept. 6 and released Wednesday includes photos allegedly showing Garcia at the Capitol that day. The DOJ has circled him in yellow. (Courtesy U.S. Department of Justice)
Another Time
The document says Garcia breached the Capitol a second time five minutes later through the Senate Wing Door.
On his way to a building segment called the crypt, Garcia was seen kicking the door of one of the rooms, the affidavit claims, attaching an accompanying image of a mustached man in a red Make America Great Again (MAGA) cap kicking a door alleged to be him.
Garcia was seen entering the crypt along with other rioters chanting “Whose House? Our house!” the affidavit says.
The Tally
The document lists four charges against Garcia:
• Civil disorder 18 U.S.C. § 231(a)(3)
• Attacking an officer 18 U.S.C. § 111(a)(1)
• Entering restricted grounds 18 U.S.C. §§ 1752(a)(1), (2) ,and (4)
• Disorderly conduct at the Capitol 40 U.S.C. §§ 5104(e)(2)(D), (F), and (G)
The affidavit does not list potential penalties for these crimes.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
