The Justice Department announced charges Saturday against four men for their alleged involvement in the vandalism of the Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, during a rally earlier this week.
The news came just hours after President Trump tweeted 15 individual press releases from the U.S. Park Police, with photos of suspects who allegedly desecrated the monument, which is located on federally owned properties.
Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, of Virginia; Connor Matthew Judd, 20, of Washington, DC; Ryan Lane, 37, of Maryland; and Graham Lloyd, 37, of Maine, were charged Friday in a criminal complaint of “destruction of federal property,” according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The charges were announced by Acting United States Attorney Michael R. Sherwin; Special Agent in Charge of the Criminal Division of the FBI Washington Field Office, James A. Dawson, and Acting Chief of Park Police Gregory T. Monahan.
The complaint, which was revealed on Saturday, states that on June 22, the four men participated in damaging the statue along with other protesters, while they were also captured on video “trying to remove the statue from its base with a wooden board and trying pulling the statue. ” statue with the help of a yellow strap, “the Justice Department said.
He also claims that there is video evidence showing “Lloyd as he breaks and destroys the wheels of the cannons located at the base of the statue. Lloyd is caught on video pulling the ropes in an effort to knock down the statue and deliver a hammer to an unidentified individual involved in the incident, “according to the department.
TRUMP TWEETS 15 SEPARATE POSTERS OF ‘PEOPLE OF INTEREST’ WANTED IN CONNECTION WITH ANDREW JACKSON VANDALIZATION STATUE
Judd, who was arrested Friday, appeared in DC Superior Court, but the matter will be handled by the United States District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday. The remaining defendants have not yet been detained by police, according to the Justice Department.
The Justice Department emphasized that the criminal complaint is a formal charge of criminal conduct, but in no way represents evidence of guilt or guilt.
Sherwin said in a statement: “The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia will not stand idly by and allow our national monuments to be smashed and destroyed. This Office remains steadfast in its commitment to protect the sacred First Amendment right of people to protest peacefully, but these charges should serve as a warning to those who choose to desecrate the statues and monuments that adorn our nation’s capital: their Violent behavior and criminal conduct will not be tolerated. “
Dawson added: “The FBI respects the peaceful exercise of First Amendment rights, but we will not allow opportunists to hijack peaceful protests to incite violence and destruction of property. We will continue to work with our partners to enforce federal laws that prohibit damage to government facilities and property. “
The charges came just a day after President Trump signed an executive order to protect the monuments and memorials from lawless protesters, promising prison time for those who tested the limits of his new term.
“I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order that protects the Monuments, Monuments and Statues of the United States, and fights recent criminal violence,” he tweeted on Friday. “Long prison terms for these illegal acts against our Great Country!”
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This joint investigation was conducted by the Park Police in coordination with the FBI’s Washington Field Office Violent Crime Task Force. Anyone with information about the identity and location of the suspects, or the crime itself, can contact the FBI at 202-278-2000.
