Capitol Riot

NY Man Cuffed After Posting on Dating App That He Did ‘Storm the Capitol' During Riot

The FBI said that in the days following the Jan. 6 siege, Robert Chapman posted a picture of himself inside the Capitol and told someone on a dating app that he did "storm the Capitol"

Man seen on pictures storming U.S. Capitol

Another New York man was arrested for his alleged role in the siege at the U.S. Capitol in January after law enforcement learned that he talked about storming the building on social media and a dating app, according to prosecutors.

The FBI arrested Robert Chapman, from the Putnam County town of Carmel, was Thursday in connection with the events of Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. He is charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct on restricted government property.

The FBI received information regarding Chapman’s social media posts in the days following Jan. 6; he is seen in posts in Statuary Hall in the Capitol, prosecutors said.

He also told a woman he had matched with on the dating app Bumble that "I did storm the capitol" and that he "made it all the way into Statuary Hall," court papers allege.

In addition to the Bumble communication, the FBI was informed about a Facebook post in which another person shared a photo of Chapman seemingly inside the Capitol, captioning it, "My Dear friend and Brostar Robert made it in the Capitol building at the protest yesterday ....Woo Hooooooooo!!!!"

In the comments, a man with the username "Robert Erick" — whom officials believe to be Chapman — wrote in response to others, "these are your peers? colleagues? they are a bunch of little b---h trolls. keyboard warriors who don't do a f-----g thing," according to court papers.

In other posts from before the siege and the day of it, that same public Facebook profile Robert Erick posted that he was leaving New York City.

"the rotten apple. Gonna go down to the District of Criminality to Enjoy some much deserved entertainment," a post read.

The following day, he posted that he was "INSIDE THE CRAPITOL!!!," along with photos posing inside the building.

A review of bodycam footage from the Metropolitan Police Department also revealed video of Chapman in Statuary Hall.

Chapman was previously arrested in New York in 2017, according to officials. It was not immediately clear what he was charged with at that time, but state police were able to work with federal officials to identify Chapman.

Chapman appeared via teleconference in federal court in White Plains Thursday afternoon. He was ordered released on his own recognizance, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York said.

Attorney information for Chapman was not available.

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