Two Oregon brothers were arrested and are being held without bond on charges that they were part of the Jan. 6 mob of Donald Trump supporters that stormed the U.S. Capitol, the Justice Department announced Monday.
According to the federal indictment, Jonathanpeter Klein and his brother Matthew Leland Klein entered the building just after 2 p.m. but then exited and proceeded to the Capitol’s north side, where they “worked together to forcibly open a secured door … with federal officers visible on the other side, causing damage to the building in excess of $1,000,” the statement alleged.
When the officers tried to block the “violent entry,” Matthew put on protective goggles and used a flagpole to hit the officers in order to thwart their efforts, the indictment says.
The men were charged with conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and other counts.
Jonathanpeter, 21, a self-identified member of the Proud Boys, told his boss on Dec. 27 that he wanted to take off from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8 so he and his brother could attend the “stop the steal rally in D.C.,” according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
He and Matthew, 24, flew from Oregon to Philadelphia on Jan. 4 and traveled to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 5, the indictment said.
At the Capitol, Matthew helped members of the mob use a police barricade to climb a wall and gain access to an external stairwell leading to the Upper West Terrace of the building, the Justice Department alleged in a statement.
The brothers were ordered held without bond pending trial after their arraignment Thursday, according to online records. Their next court appearance is scheduled for May 7.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. attorney’s office for the District of Columbia and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
