Bench trial set for Frederick man charged in Capitol riot

Jan. 6—One year later, a Frederick man photographed with rioters storming the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, is awaiting a resolution in a federal case that includes charges of committing an act of physical violence inside the Capitol grounds.

The FBI in court documents allege Nicholas Rodean is the man in photos wearing a red Trump hat, waving a "Trump is my president" flag in the halls of Congress. He also wore a badge from his workplace, Navistar Direct Marketing, which subsequently fired Rodean after images of him in the Capitol surfaced online.

Rodean has a status conference set for Jan. 21, a pretrial conference May 13 and a bench trial set for June 3.

He faces eight counts that include: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a capitol building; parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; destruction of government property; engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds; and disorderly conduct in a capitol building.

The FBI learned that several news outlets identified Rodean, and the agency also found social media mentions of him being involved in the riot, according to an FBI statement shared by the U.S. Department of Justice. The FBI then confirmed his identity.

A attorney representing Rodean — who was not identified in court documents — called the FBI's Washington Field Office Jan. 8, 2021, saying Rodean wished to turn himself in, according to the statement of facts filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department arrested Rodean.

Defense attorney Charles Burnham in a phone call Wednesday declined to comment on the case.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller