Editor’s observe: This story was first printed within the Tampa Bay Instances.
TAMPA — A retired U.S. Army Special Forces soldier who’s amongst these accused within the Jan. 6, 2021, riots on the U.S. Capitol faces new fees that he held onto secret nationwide protection paperwork from his time within the service.
A federal grand jury in Tampa final week returned an indictment alleging that Jeremy Brown had unauthorized possession of the paperwork, which relate to army actions that occurred in 2004 and 2005.
The brand new fees accompany earlier allegations that Brown illegally possessed two weapons and a set of hand grenades, which federal brokers discovered once they executed a search warrant final 12 months at his Tampa residence.
The brand new indictment is the most recent salvo in a sophisticated case that has seen prosecutors work arduous to maintain Brown locked up and stop him from benefitting financially from public help he has acquired.
Days after the brand new indictment got here a request from Brown’s protection: He needs to symbolize himself.
“He is not only competent however a extremely smart particular person,” protection legal professional William Sansone wrote in a court docket paper filed Sunday.
Whereas he has no prior expertise with legal trials, Brown is studying as he goes, with help from two professional bono attorneys who will proceed to assist him, Sansone wrote.
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“Mr. Brown has the constitutional proper to symbolize himself,” Sansone wrote, “and he’s adamant that at this juncture of his case, he’s the very best individual to guide his protection.”
Brown, 47, served within the Special Forces from 1992 to 2012. For many of that point, he held a “secret” safety clearance, which gave him lawful entry to nationwide protection info that was carefully held by the federal government, the indictment states.
The indictment alleges that Brown “willfully retained the paperwork and didn’t ship them to the officer or worker of america entitled to obtain it.”
One doc is listed within the indictment as a “risk frequency report” of a “mixed explosives exploitation cell” in Afghanistan. One other is labeled as an incident report associated to an improvised explosive machine. A 3rd bears the title “Spider Machine Testing Procedures and Outcomes.” The fourth is labeled as a “fragmentary order.”
All 4 paperwork are categorised as “secret,” a label that applies to info which, if disclosed, “could possibly be anticipated to trigger critical injury” to nationwide safety, the indictment states.
The classification is a step above “confidential,” which applies to info that might merely “trigger injury” to nationwide safety. It’s a step under “prime secret,” which applies to info that might “trigger exceptionally grave injury” to nationwide safety.
Brown is scheduled for an arraignment on the brand new fees later this week.
He was arrested final September on fees associated to the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol, which disrupted congressional certification of the 2020 election outcomes.
Court docket paperwork allege that Brown was seen donning fight apparel amid a crowd that breached a restricted space exterior the constructing. Though he isn’t accused of coming into the Capitol, federal prosecutors have famous ties to the Oath Keepers extremist group. Within the days previous Jan. 6, in accordance with court docket information, Brown communicated with members of the group’s Florida chapter, a number of of whom have been charged individually with seditious conspiracy and different crimes.
A legal grievance references messages by which Brown coordinated journey plans, writing that he would carry his leisure car, which he known as “Floor Power One.”
A search warrant utility, which federal brokers used to authorize a search of Brown’s residence within the Palm River space, references info brokers acquired from an individual recognized as “Defendant 4,” who stated the group caravanned to Washington D.C. in an RV that held weapons and ammunition.
Kelly Meggs, the purported chief of the Florida Oath Keepers, advised Defendant 4 that Brown was a “unfastened cannon” and had explosives contained in the RV, in accordance with the court docket document. Of their search of Brown’s residence, brokers seized a short-barrel rifle, a sawed-off shotgun, and three hand grenades, which they alleged he possessed illegally.
A federal choose beforehand ordered Brown to stay detained pending trial, expressing concern over a profane handwritten signal he positioned exterior his residence after an earlier go to from regulation enforcement. The signal said that in the event that they got here again, they need to “carry an even bigger tactical bundle.”
Brown asserted in court docket that the signal was not a risk and stated he detests violence. He has stated the legal fees are an effort by the federal government to silence him.
As he fights his case, Brown has filed to run as a candidate for Florida Home of Representatives within the 2022 election. He beforehand ran for congress in Tampa within the 2020 race, however withdrew earlier than the first.
