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Department of Justice exhibits contained inside a statement of offense for accused rioter Zylas “Zee” Hamilton show alleged messages he posted on social media proclaiming he was inside of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
A Georgia man who boasted online about how he “rushed” police officers at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and vowed he would “die or do 20 years” before his children grew up in a country “these people are trying to create,” has been arrested and charged, according to court records reviewed Wednesday by Law&Crime.
Zylas “Zee” Hamilton of Blue Ridge, according to a statement of facts filed in a federal court in Washington, D.C., was exposed to charges after the FBI received a tip three days after the attack on the Capitol.
The tip contained a screenshot regarding a Facebook user “Zee Hamilton” and featured Hamilton’s conversation with another Facebook user on Jan. 6 where “Zee” appeared to freely admit: “I was in the capital building” [sic] and that he was “safe after being maced, tear gassed and shot with a rubber bullet in the shoulder.”
When someone in the Facebook thread asked Hamilton why he had been pepper-sprayed, he responded: “Because we rushed them.”
Left: Zylas “Zee” Hamilton circled in yellow in Department of Justice exhibits./Right: Closed-circuit footage from inside the U.S. Capitol obtained by investigators and included in Hamilton’s statement of offense shows him entering the Capitol around 2:22 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021.
Prosecutors say their investigation into Hamilton turned up several damning photos including Facebook livestreams and selfies he took from inside the Capitol that displayed messages like, “Fight for your country folks… we took our capital back today.” [sic]
Investigators say cellphone records confirmed that Hamilton’s phone pinged inside the Capitol around the same time he is accused of posting messages and video of himself online appearing to obstruct police attempting to quell the unrest as the 2020 election certification was thrown into chaos.
The FBI claims Hamilton marauded through the Capitol around 2:22 p.m., entering through a window near the Senate wing doors.
In the affidavit, the FBI interviewed someone who is “both a Facebook friend of Hamilton” and someone who had known him personally for years and that when shown four pictures of the Georgia man from outside of the Capitol, they could easily identify him.
Records reviewed by the FBI allegedly show Hamilton initially ignoring advice from a fellow Facebook user to remove his posts online.
“Why?” Hamilton asked.
“Cause they kind find you,” the person replied.
“Idc,” Hamilton wrote in shorthand for “I don’t care.”
The person identified in court records only as “C.C.” told Hamilton he might face “20 years” if he was caught and urged him that the “country us [sic] not worth it Son the way things are now days. We are in the last days Jesus will take care of us.” [Spelling. punctuation original]
Records appear to show Hamilton responding: “I’ll die or do 20 years before my kids grow up in the country these people are trying to creat [sic].”
Calling the American government “treasonous,” Hamilton appeared to believe that Jan. 6 was a righteous cause, telling one user on Jan. 7: “It’s actually working out really great. It allows people like you to s— on this country with your ‘opinions’ and not get hung up for treason.”
Hamilton was still blabbing online 48 hours after his foray inside the Capitol, court records show. He told a friend it wasn’t just Trump supporters at the Capitol and appeared to recoil at the idea he had a part in any destruction or saw any of it either.
“But honestly … a window was broken. We could have burnt that place to the ground,” Hamilton wrote on Jan. 8.
Despite the bravado, Hamilton appeared to have second thoughts at some point within this time frame. The FBI’s review of his messages indicates he deleted some of his Jan. 6 content from his Facebook. One user identified as “KCF” told Hamilton that “Moma said” he hadn’t been caught yet because he had deleted a video.
“I don’t watch the news so I don’t know. Lol. Maybe u won’t,” KCF wrote.
“Not unless somebody tells on me,” Hamilton replied.
“Surely they won’t,” KCF answered.
Hamilton didn’t seem so confident.
“We’ll see lol,” he replied.
A week out from the attack, the statement of facts from the FBI alleges he was again approached by someone on Facebook inquiring about whether he had deleted the videos from Jan. 6. Hamilton said he deleted them “awhile back” and that he was now just “waiting for the feds to come get me.”
An arrest warrant shows Hamilton is facing four charges including: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority; disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building. It is unlikely he would be sentenced to anywhere close to 20 years in prison for his charges; the maximum sentence for knowingly entering and remaining is not more than a year if a person is not found to be carrying or handling a deadly weapon.
Court records filed in Georgia after his arrest show he has had a federal public defender assigned to his case. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. He was released on his own recognizance and ordered not to commit any crimes, cooperate with DNA samples if requested, advise the court if he changes his residence or phone number and he must appear in court in Washington, D.C., next on Feb. 8 via Zoom before Judge G. Michael Harvey.
Three years after the attack on the Capitol, the Justice Department has continued apace with arrests and prosecutions and shows no sign of slowing down. This month, the Justice Department announced it had charged over 1,265 defendants in nearly all 50 states.
