By Clarissa Rios
WASHINGTON D.C. – A California man has been arrested for crimes and conspiracy related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 when Congress was in the middle of a session and counting the electoral votes for the Presidential election, according to the Dept. of Justice Monday.
According to the DoJ press statement, Edward Badalian, 27, of Los Angeles, has been charged with an indictment for conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, tampering with documents or proceedings, and other offenses.
The indictment was unsealed Monday in the District of Columbia. Badalian’s arrest occurred on Nov. 17 in Los Angeles. His official court appearance took place in the Central District of California, and he was arraigned Nov. 16, in the District of Columbia.
Badalian had been charged in a superseding indictment returned in a case that was initially filed in March 2021. The case was filed against 39-
year-old Daniel Rodriguez of Fontana, California.
According to the government, Rodriguez had been indicted on charges of assault of Metropolitan Police Department Officer, Michael Fanone. This superseding indictment adds a conspiracy charge against Rodriguez, who has been detained ever since his arrest March 31. Rodriguez was arraigned on Nov. 16, in the District of Columbia.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez, Badalian, and others created a Telegram group chat in the fall of 2020. Their chat was called the “Patriots 45 MAGA Gang,” and they utilized it to advocate for violence against specific groups and individuals that supported the results of the 2020 Presidential election.
They also used it to advocate for violence towards individuals that supported whatever the group perceived as liberal, communist ideologies, or held positions of authority in the government, said the indictment.
DoJ said Rodriguez and Badalian’s group collected weapons and tactical gear that they would then bring to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6. They organized plans to storm barricades so that they could gain access to the Capitol.
They also organized activities before, during, and after the riot, and the indictment alleged that the defendants had conspired to stop, delay, and hinder Congress’s Certification of the Electoral College Vote. Additionally, the indictment said they also conspired to prevent evidence from being used in the investigation of the activities they had organized and had been involved in.
The press release stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California contributed assistance to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices continue to investigate the case with the help of the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Capitol Police.
More than 675 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol Jan. 6 breach. This includes over 210 individuals that were charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
