Roberto Minuta, a tattoo parlor owner who is accused of being involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection, unintentionally revealed details of his case to an off-duty FBI agent who came to get tattooed at the suspect's shop. The agent and several others heard the rant when they booked an appointment at Casa Di Dolore in Newburgh, New York, on July 17.

According to the unclassified FBI memo obtained by Vice, Minuta said he served as security detail on Jan. 6, working for Roger Stone, who is an ally of former President Donald Trump. The business owner also claimed there were members of the Antifa movement at the Capitol.

Minuta revealed more details to the group during the three-hour session at his parlor, saying he had to turn in his firearms in exchange for being released pending the outcome of his jury trial. In addition to being questioned at airports in the past six months, the New York resident said his tattoo parlor was vandalized in March after he was charged in connection with the Capitol riot.

Minuta added that the FBI already went through his phone records and knew about the conversations he held on Jan. 6, which included information he provided about someone’s security detail. Two days after the conversation at the parlor, the FBI agent submitted a memo to the agency, revealing details of Minuta's rant. The agent also said the business owner gave up the information about his case without being pressured.

Minuta’s lawyer, however, said it was an inappropriate way for the agency to get information. The lawyer, Jenifer Wicks, is now asking the judge to completely throw her client's case. Wicks said the discussion at the tattoo shop violated her client's right to have a lawyer present when questioned by the government, the Record Online reports.

Minuta is identified as a member of The Oath Keepers, an anti-government, conspiracy-oriented group. About 20 members of the group have been charged for their alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 riot.

Prosecutors said Minuta traveled to Washington, D.C., with fellow militia members from multiple states and joined the insurrection when Trump supporters began storming the Capitol building. The 37-year-old allegedly exchanged phone calls with Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes while entering the building, then again after the attack.

Roberto-Minuta

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