SAN ANTONIO — There is new insight into the arrest of a San Antonio man charged in the deadly capitol riot. The 37-year-old suspect Matthew Carl Mazzocco was reportedly seen inside the halls of the U.S. Capitol. He is facing two federal charges.
Mazzocco was arrested at his home Sunday in the Stone Oak area. In a federal complaint, he is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. He is also charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, John Bash, said these may be preliminary.
"The initial charges that the defendant was charged with are relatively minor---if they didn't involve a firearm or violence," he said.
Bash said Mazzocco could face more serious charges depending on what federal investigators find.
"To see if this person was involved in acts of violence, to see if this person conspired with others to commit acts of violence," Bash said.
Bash said investigators will most likely look into the suspect's phone records, emails, and social media posts.
"Nothing in the announced charges means that he engaged in acts of violence or more serious conduct," he said. "But nor do the charges disavow that. It is just not clear right now based on those charges what investigators believe he did."
The former U.S. Attorney said this case is not so cut and dry and said it does have its challenges.
"There were so many people in that building," he said. So, trying to figure out what each person did. "Sometimes when you have a ton of people especially in a pandemic--wearing masks it is not always easy to see who did what."\
During an initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday, a judge set a $25,000 appearance and compliance bond; that means he does not need to go to jail, but will be on the hook to pay $25,000 if he misses court.