Man linked to Proud Boys charged for Capitol riots after FBI identified him in a recent photo with Sidney Powell

Man linked to Proud Boys charged for Capitol riots after FBI identified him in a recent photo with Sidney Powell
Sidney Powell // Screengrab
'That's pretty desperate': Sidney Powell forced to make a stunning admission in a response to a lawsuit
Frontpage featured

Two men who have been linked to Proud Boys' right-wing activist Ethan Nordean have been arrested in connection with the Capitol riots. According to The Washington Post, James Haffner, 53, of South Dakota, and Ronald Loehrke, 30, of Georgia, are now facing a felony charge of civil disorder for their alleged participation in the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) managed to identify Haffner as a result of a photo he'd taken with Sidney Powell, who served as one of former President Donald Trump's lawyers as he attempted to overturn the presidential election.

Per The Post, the FBI claimed it "identified Haffner partly through a social media post by his wife on Aug. 7 that included a photograph of the couple and a third person whose image was redacted but his wife identified in a caption as Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, who was in South Dakota that week for a bus and motorcycle ride through the state coinciding with the Sturgis motorcycle rally."

Haffner and Loehrke were reportedly among a group of Proud Boys who marched behind Nordean to the U.S. Capitol. The two were also with a crowd of angry mobsters that " overran a pedestrian barrier shortly after 1 p.m., breached the building’s West Plaza and stood at the front of a crowd confronting a single line of riot police, before dismantling police barricades on the east side."

“Don’t back down, patriots! … The whole ... world is watching. Stand ... up!” Loehrke reportedly yelled.

The FBI, according to The Washington Post, has said that Haffner "sprayed police guarding the Columbus doors shortly before they were breached by a crowd that poured into the Capitol Rotunda." The FBI also provided a number of photos that helped them to identify both Haffner and Loehrke.

Haffner was arrested in Pennington County, S.D., and appeared in court before a judge on Wednesday, December 1. Then, on Thursday, December 2, Loehrke was arrested in Cumming, Ga., and appeared in court the following day. Both men are reportedly being represented by court-appointed lawyers.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.