Image by Richard Burton from Pixabay 

August 3, 2022 - WASHINGTON — A Missouri man was arrested today on felony and misdemeanor charges for his actions during the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the presidential election.

Jerod Thomas Bargar, 36, of Centralia, Missouri, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with the felony offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds or buildings. He also is charged with related misdemeanor offenses. He was arrested today in Osage Beach, Missouri. He is to make his initial court appearance today in the Western District of Missouri.

According to court documents, Bargar illegally brought a 9-millimeter semi-automatic pistol across state lines and into the District of Columbia. He took the gun to a rally near the Ellipse and then onto restricted grounds of the U.S. Capitol. Bargar was not licensed to carry a firearm in the District of Columbia. Law enforcement officers recovered the weapon at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, on the west side of the Capitol Building. The firearm was on the ground, in a distinctive holster that displayed an image of the American flag and the words, “We The People” written on it. The firearm contained one 9-millimeter cartridge in the chamber and approximately 15 additional cartridges in the magazine. Bargar later was linked to the gun in a law enforcement investigation.

This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri.

The case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, with valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Kansas City Field Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department.

In the 18 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 850 individuals have been arrested in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including over 260 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement. The investigation remains ongoing.  Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Attachment(s): Download Bargar - Complaint

Download Bargar - Statement of Facts