An Illinois man was slapped with charges for his alleged violent antics during the Capitol riot, authorities said.
Lance Michael Ligocki, 34, of Oakwood, became another figure added to a growing list of over 1,358 individuals charged since the Jan. 6, 2021, siege, according to a release by the U.S. Department of Justice. The FBI netted Ligocki on numerous counts, including felony civil disorder and assaulting officers.
The charges stacked against Ligocki include misdemeanors for entering restricted spaces and engaging in violent conduct on Capitol grounds, as reported by the DOJ. Initially appearing before judicial scrutiny in the Central District of Illinois, Ligocki's antics on that day have now placed him at the heart of a federal headache.
Wearing his patriotism on his sleeve, and pants to be exact, Ligocki's American flag-themed outfit and pro-Trump paraphernalia made him stand out in the crowd and ultimately a fixture in open-source video footage. This video shows him on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace, flailing a pole with a "Trump" flag at law enforcement officers, as the DOJ detailed. He also wielded a "Stop the Steal" sign, prosecutors said.
The case is being handled by the Department of Justice National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, with aid from the Central District of Illinois. The FBI's Springfield and Washington Field Offices led the charge in getting their man, who was listed as BOLO (Be on the Lookout) #20 on the agency's website. The investigation, which has so far led to more than 486 individuals facing felony charges for assaulting or impeding law enforcement, trudges on.
