(Tribune News Service) — In the days following the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, Villa Rica, Ga., resident and Army veteran Zachariah Boulton argued on TikTok with users posting videos denouncing the attack.
In one, Boulton, 38, said liberals on the video-sharing site were OK with Black Livers Matter and antifa.
“But you are not ok with us storming the Capitol like the Founding Fathers highly suggested we do,” he said.
Responding to critics in the comments, Boulton wrote that participating in the events of that day was his “patriotic duty.”
More than 30 months later, the FBI arrested Boulton on July 10 and charged him with four misdemeanors related to his alleged actions at the Capitol. He is the 25th defendant with Georgia ties to be arrested in connection with the riot. The investigation has led to more than 1,000 arrests across the country.
In early 2021, Boulton had close to 5,000 followers on TikTok, and his posts defending the Jan. 6 riot did not go unnoticed, according to court records. The FBI received a tip from a TikTok user just three days after the unrest at the Capitol, complete with screenshots from the social media site, court records say.
Using footage from surveillance cameras and videos allegedly posted to TikTok, the FBI traced Boulton’s movements through the Capitol, charging documents say. In one such video no longer visible on TikTok, Boulton reportedly defended his actions while inside the building for approximately 15 minutes.
“Don’t come at me, oh, you lowered yourself by going into that Capitol building. (Expletive) that. We need to send them a message now that they will understand,” he allegedly said. “We will not stand by and (expletive) is gonna get real. If you’re not ready for that, go hide.”
In another video, Boulton, who goes by “Zach,” allegedly went further in describing his actions.
“Let me address your question or your concern because I was actually in the Capitol building … they were spraying us with mace, and they were also throwing tear gas at us. If you had gotten a little closer, you would have seen that,” he said, according to a court filing.
According to the FBI, agents found comments Boulton wrote to other TikTok users in the days before and after the Capitol riot in which he talked about going to Washington and described what he saw while there.
According to the court filing, Boulton served in the Army and was discharged in 2019. Public records indicate that he has lived in Georgia for several years, including addresses in Marietta and Hinesville, a city near Fort Stewart, before moving to Villa Rica in 2020.
FBI agents attempted to talk to Boulton in November 2022 about his alleged participation in the Capitol riot, but he refused to talk to them until they came “back with legal documents.” However, the agents took pictures of Boulton during the encounter which led to his identification and eventual arrest, according to court records.
Boulton is charged with entering a restricted area of the Capitol, two counts of disorderly conduct and a count of illegally demonstrating inside the Capitol. He had an initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge in Washington on July 20 in which his federal public defender asked for a speedy trial.
Of the 25 people with Georgia connections charged in the Jan. 6 riot, all but five have either pleaded guilty or been found guilty. Most have been sentenced, with punishment ranging from probation to years in prison.
The remaining defendants, including Boulton, are awaiting their day in court.
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