A rapper is facing criminal charges after he released an album cover connecting him to the insurgency on the U.S. Capitol in January.
On Feb. 8, Antionne DeShaun Brodnax shared photos on Twitter of the cover image for his album The Capital, which depicts him sitting on a U.S. Capitol SWAT car with pro-Trump rioters storming the government building behind him. Business Insider reports that the artist, known as Bugzie the Don, also posted a photo of the artwork on his Instagram page earlier this month.
Brodnax disclosed to federal authorities that he traveled to Washington, D.C., to film a music video, according to court documents. The rapper said he followed the mob of rioters into the Capitol building to take pictures and videos.
After seeing him in the background of a CNN broadcast, people tipped off investigators with screenshots of Brodnax on TV and tagged his Twitter handle.
The Virginia rapper expressed that he didn't initially plan to enter the Capitol building earlier this year. He told investigators that he went to the Capitol after noticing the rally and seeing people marching toward the building, according to The Seattle Times.
Brodnax shared that he entered the building “peacefully” and spent nearly 40 minutes documenting “the architecture,” legal filings stated. Video footage captures the rapper inside the National Statuary Hall requesting a woman to take a picture of him on the base of a statue of 1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug, The Seattle Times reported.
For his presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6, Brodnax was charged on four counts, including unlawful entry, misconduct on restricted grounds and demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building.
The rapper joins more than 400 rioters who are facing charges in connection with the insurgency on the U.S. Capitol, as Blavity previously reported.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed that more than 350 people were charged for unlawfully entering a restricted building. They said 35 others have been charged with entering the Capitol with a deadly weapon and 30 others for conspiracy, according to CBS News.
Daniel Warmus, a native of Buffalo, New York, appeared in the virtual court after someone reported that he was seen in the Capitol smoking marijuana. In the hearing, Warmus donned a Trump 2020 cap and a “CNN is fake news” sweatshirt.
Kane, Pennsylvania resident Pauline Bauer was charged with obstructing Congress and disorderly conduct while participating with domestic terrorists. Video footage captures her screaming to bring out House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be hanged. If found guilty, the woman faces up to a 20-year sentence.
A number of other suspects have been identified, including relatives reporting accused insurgents, defendants testifying against each other and a woman who turned in a man she met on a dating app, Insider reports.
Prosecutors have revealed that they intend to charge at least 100 more people. PolitiFact reports that federal authorities indicated that they are continuing to search for more suspects.
