Taylor Taranto, apprehended near former President Obama's Washington D.C. home last month, has been formally indicted on six charges. A grand jury delivered the indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday.
The charges include carrying a pistol without a license, possessing a large-capacity ammunition feeding device, entering and remaining in a restricted area, disorderly conduct in a restricted area, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and demonstrating in a Capitol building.
Two of these charges stem from the June 29th incident near Obama's residence in the Kalorama neighborhood. Secret Service agents arrested Taranto following a concerning livestream on his YouTube channel the previous day. In the video, he allegedly claimed to possess a detonator and threatened to detonate his "self-driving" vehicle at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
The remaining four charges are misdemeanors connected to Taranto's alleged involvement in the 2021 Capitol riots, for which he was already a wanted individual. The Iraq war veteran was denied bail earlier this week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui, who cited concerns about potential danger to the public based on Taranto's possession of firearms and threats against elected officials, despite not considering him a flight risk.
Judge Faruqui expressed frustration with Taranto's presence in court, suggesting systemic unfairness. Prosecutors allege that on the day of his arrest, Taranto re-shared a Truth Social post from former President Donald Trump that included Obama's purported address.
This image, released by the Department of Justice, displays the firearms, ammunition, and magazines allegedly retrieved from Taranto's vehicle.
