(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – A man arrested with firearms close to former President Obama’s home has been indicted on federal gun charges after already facing charges for participating in the January 6, 2021, events at the US Capitol.
A grand jury indicted 37-year-old Taylor Taranto on felony charges of “illegally carry(ing) a firearm without a license and unlawfully possessing a large-capacity ammunition feeding device,” AP reports, as cited by Newsmax.
According to court documents, Taranto, of Pasco, Washington state, has also been charged with four misdemeanors over his involvement in the January 6 breach of the Capitol.
The man was arrested on June 29 in the Kalorama neighborhood of Washington, DC, described as a “wealthy, exclusive” place by NPR.
He had made “concerning statements” about the homes in the area and made it clear he wanted to “commit acts of violence against a federal facility,” according to prosecutors.
In the weeks before he was detained, Taranto made threats during YouTube live-streaming sessions against prominent individuals in the DC area.
In one case, he said he was in Obama’s neighborhood seeking “entrance points” as he “wanted to get a good angle on a shot.”
Taranto has frequently appeared at a protest site where supporters of the January 6 defenders gather near the DC jail.
On June 29, Taranto reposted former President Donald Trump’s social media post of the Obamas’ alleged address. After that, he “made his way to the home and was later arrested.”
According to investigators, the man seemed to live in his van with two guns, 400 rounds of ammunition, and a machete. His wife told them he had gone to the nation’s capital after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to publish unseen footage of January 6 earlier this year.
The prosecutors also noted that a day earlier, on June 28, Taranto was in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on a “one-way mission,” leading them to believe he wanted to blow up his van at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Last week, Taranto’s lawyer, Kathryn Guevara, told the judge her client’s comments about a “shot” or “angle” at Obama’s home only referred to his livestream video at the time.
A Capitol riot suspect who had guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested near former President Obama’s Washington home has been indicted on federal firearms charges. https://t.co/jbVMiKRi3c
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) July 16, 2023
