SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – A Coronado man was arrested for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot earlier this month, the FBI announced Thursday.
FBI officials said Jeffrey Alexander Smith was taken into custody on Wednesday morning over his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 riot and breach of the Capitol building in Washington, D.C.
During his initial court appearance on Thursday, Smith's bond was set at $25,000. His next court hearing will be on Feb. 11.
A U.S. Department of Justice criminal complaint states Smith is charged with “Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds” and “Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority.”
Per the criminal complaint: "On January 7, 2021, one individual who identified themselves and who has known SMITH for an extended period of time had discovered a photo of SMITH inside the Capitol on social media which had been posted to Instagram by @homegrownterrorists. The photo depicts SMITH wearing a black jacket and a Trump hat, with a red cell phone in his right hand which is raised in the air."
Also in the complaint: “On January 8, 2021, a tip was received by the FBI Tipline from an individual (“Witness-2”) who grew up with SMITH in Coronado, California, and who texted with SMITH via Instagram after the riots. “Witness-2 provided screen shots of the messages which included SMITH writing, “I’m a Patriot”, “I stormed the capital” (sic). In the text, SMITH stated that this purpose was “To send a message that American are[n’]t going to take a fraudulent election.” SMITH also wrote to Witness-2, “There is no way in hell I was going to drive 38 hours from San Diego and not walk right through the front of the capital (sic) building.” Witness-2 also observed that SMITH had since deleted his Instagram account.”
