Two more men were arrested for their alleged roles in the Capitol riot in January, both with NYC ties: One is a retired NYPD officer who once guarded City Hall and Gracie Mansion, the other is a GOP party official from Queens. NBC New York’s Jonathan Dienst reports.
What to Know
- An apparent Republican activist from Queens was arrested in connection to his participation in last month's deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol -- after being identified thanks to his distinctive Knights of Columbus jacket.
- Philip Grillo, 46, was arrested in his girlfriend's house. Federal charges against Grillo include unlawfully entering the Capitol Building and impeding the functioning of government.
- According to FBI documents, two witnesses identified Grillo to the FBI from video footage they saw broadcast on television of the Jan. 6 siege.
An apparent Republican activist from Queens was arrested in connection to his alleged participation in last month's deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol -- after being identified thanks to his distinctive Knights of Columbus jacket.
Philip Grillo, 46, was arrested in his girlfriend's house. Federal charges against Grillo include unlawfully entering the Capitol Building and impeding the functioning of government.
According to FBI documents, two witnesses identified Grillo to the FBI from video footage they saw broadcast on television of the Jan. 6 siege.
On Jan. 14, the FBI allegedly received an anonymous tip from a witness that said they saw Grillo “storm” into the Capitol on CNN footage. The witness also said, “I saw him twice in CNN in two separate incidents”. Additionally, according to FBI documents, the witness stated they knew Grillo from growing up with him in Glen Oaks, New York.
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Subsequently, on Jan. 18, a second tipster contacted the FBI and identified Grillo from CNN footage. This witness included a video and an image taken from their cell phone of the CNN footage where they identified Grillo (seen below), according to federal documents.
The second witness met up with the FBI, according to documents, and identified Grillo in the CCTV footage and said they had known Grillo for decades, growing up with him and going to the same schools and knew his face. The witness also said Grillo was a member of the Knights of Columbus -- a religious fraternal service order. FBI documents say that CCTV footage shows Grillo wearing a distinctive Knights of Columbus, St. Anne’s Council #2429, Glen Oaks, New York embroidered jacket (photos below).
The FBI conducted an open-records check of Grillo and confirmed he is a member of the Knights of Columbus chapter, matching the jacket’s description.
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Additionally, according to the FBI, CCTV images from inside the Capitol captured Grillo climbing through a broken window at the Capitol and was observed holding a megaphone.
Grillo appeared via teleconference in federal court in Brooklyn Tuesday. He was ordered released on a $100,000 bond. His attorney, Michael Padden, had no comment when asked by News 4 New York.
This latest development follows a myriad of arrests and charges against a number of tri-state residents in connection to the violent events that unfolded early last month when a mob of former President Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
Nearing two months after the siege, the FBI continues to make arrests throughout the country. Since the violent riot, a number of tri-state residents have been arrested and charged with various crimes in connection to the deadly event, including a New York City sanitation worker, the brother of a retired NYPD officer, an MTA worker and an Upper West Side community leader.
Additionally, a man who surrendered at the FBI’s Hudson Valley office Monday to face charges in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol siege is a retired NYPD officer who had been assigned for a time to work perimeter security at City Hall and at Gracie Mansion, the mayor's official residence, law enforcement officials with direct knowledge of the investigation told News 4 Tuesday.
