3 more Western Pa. residents, including Scottdale man, charged in Capitol riots

A Westmoreland County man and two others from Beaver County are among the latest to face charges related to the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Samuel C. Fox of Scottdale, Mitchell P. Vukich of New Brighton and Nicholas Perretta of Baden all face charges related to the incident, in which a large crowd fought with Capitol police and broke into the U.S. Capitol building as lawmakers were certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

An officer patrolling the Bridgeport Dam on Tuesday night spotted a group there after dark, said Chief Henry Fontana of the Westmoreland County Park Police. Fox was with the group and authorities learned of the federal arrest warrant.

“They checked his ID and got a hit on him,” Fontana said.

Samuel Christopher Fox of Mt. Pleasant, PA was taken into federal custody this morning on federal charges relating to criminal acts at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. An initial appearance is scheduled for 3 p.m. in US District Court in Western PA. @FBIPittsburgh pic.twitter.com/laSzMHnLLV

— WDPAnews (@WDPAnews) June 23, 2021

Fox is accused of violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority and related charges.

According to a federal criminal complaint, a witness contacted the FBI two days after the Capitol riots identifying Fox as a college friend and saying he had posted photos to his Facebook account showing him inside the Capitol.

A second witness contacted the FBI on Jan. 11 regarding the same Facebook photos, and federal officials also were notified of Fox’s posts showing his intention to travel to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

Authorities say Fox was identified on closed-circuit camera footage inside the Capitol, having entered through a broken window.

In addition, a search warrant for Google records showed Fox’s cell phone having utilized a site consistent with the area including the Capitol, federal officials said.

Vukich is facing similar charges, as well as a charge of theft of government property. He surrendered Wednesday to federal authorities. Federal officials said he admitted to taking paperwork, described as a congressional session agenda, from the Capitol.

Vukich came to federal officials’ attention after posting on Twitter that he was “one of the first 15 people in the #Capitol. Wild stuff. Be safe out there.”

A similar Google search warrant revealed that a mobile device associated with Vukich’s email address was present inside the Capitol building on Jan. 6.

Perretta also surrendered to authorities on Wednesday. He is facing the same charges as Vukich.

Closed-circuit footage from the Capitol showed Vukich and Perretta together, and Perretta told FBI agents during a June 8 interview at his home that he and Vukich traveled together to Washington, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Perretta told FBI officials he also took documents from the building, which he described as “three-month-old congressional papers,” which he later threw away. He also told investigators “that he believed that the U.S. Capitol was open to the general public,” despite also noting that he had walked through tear gas and past officers and civilians fighting in order to get inside the building.

All three men are in federal custody. They are scheduled to appear via video conference Wednesday afternoon before Chief Magistrate Cynthia Reed Eddy in U.S. District Court.