CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Tuesday, a Chesapeake man was arrested on charges connected to the January 6th insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Antonio Lamotta has been charged with Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds, Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Grounds, Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building, and Parading, Demonstrating, or Picketing in a Capitol Building.
Lamotta was previously arrested with Joshua Macias in Nov. 2020 near the Philadelphia Convention Center where votes for the 2020 Presidential Election were being counted. Both men were charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a license and carrying a firearm on a public street. As of Tuesday, Lamotta is still awaiting trial on these charges.
Police reportedly received a tip from Norfolk FBI about armed individuals driving from Virginia Beach to the Philadelphia Convention Center in a silver Hummer. The Hummer was discovered parked unattended, and police spoke to two men, both carrying firearms, who said the vehicle belonged to them.
The Hummer also had a sticker on it promoting QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory.
Police said another semi-automatic AR-15-style rifle was found inside their vehicle with at least 160 rounds of ammunition.
According to CBS Philadelphia, prosecutors said text messages showed the two expressing concerns about the vote counting happening at the Convention Center and saying they were “coming to deliver a truck full of fake ballots to Philly.”
The City of Chesapeake confirmed that Lamotta was a facility maintenance technician from 2014 - 2019.
Federal investigators said, according to U.S. Capitol surveillance footage, Lamotta was inside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in the wing east of the Rotunda from 3:21-3:29 p.m.
According to court records, based on a review of U.S. Capitol Police surveillance video, Lamotta entered the Capitol building through the east Rotunda doors at 3:21 p.m. Records also state Lamotta, "was part of a group of rioters that pushed past police officers working to bar entry into the building." Police pushed Lamotta and other rioters out of the building at 3:29 p.m.
Lamotta's presence in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 could also be seen through D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) body camera video. Footage from MPD officers show Lamotta was inside the Capitol during the time previously mentioned.
The Daily Beast also reported that a man who appeared to be Lamotta passed by a CNN crew while on-air.
News 3 reached out to the FBI's Norfolk Field Office for details of Lamotta's arrest related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. The office referred News 3 to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, who declined to comment.
News 3 also reached out to Lamotta's attorney in the Philadelphia case, and as of Tuesday evening, are still waiting to hear back.
News 3 reached out to Rep. Elaine Luria, who also serves on the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Jayce Genco, a spokesperson for Rep. Luria, provided this statement to News 3:
“While the Department of Justice continues its separate investigation into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, Rep. Luria remains committed to supporting the rule of law.”
