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Aaron Sauer, left, appears in a photo provided by the Justice Department depicting him allegedly kicking down a fence on the lower west terrace on Jan. 6, 2021. Right, Sauer is seen circled in red in an exhibit photo depicting him allegedly spraying a chemical irritant at police defending the Capitol.
Proud Boy Aaron Sauer of New York, or, if one used the name the FBI said it found on his business cards in his backpack — “Proud Roni” — has been arrested almost three years after prosecutors say he came to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, to assault police and wreak havoc at the U.S. Capitol as Congress met to certify the 2020 election.
In an indictment and accompanying FBI affidavit reviewed Wednesday by Law&Crime, the FBI says that it interviewed their first witness tied to Sauer four days after the attack on the Capitol though he was only arrested on Wednesday, a warrant shows.
That person said Sauer had traveled from Syracuse, New York, to Washington, D.C., for the rally announced by Donald Trump for Jan. 6. Sauer, prosecutors allege, traveled with former U.S. Marine and Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, the Senate-window-smashing-man acquitted of the topmost charge of sedition at a marathon trial last year but found guilty on several other counts including conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to prevent members of Congress and federal law enforcement officers from discharging their duties, civil disorder, and destruction of government property. Pezzola was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Records allege Sauer also traveled with Proud Boy Matthew Greene. Greene later turned cooperator after he was charged. Sauer was also spotted in footage with Proud Boy William Pepe of Beacon, New York. Pepe has not yet gone to trial, court records reviewed on Wednesday by Law&Crime show. He is expected to go to trial on May 20 before U.S. District Judge Tim Kelly.
As for Sauer, the FBI says it executed a search warrant on the Proud Boy’s home and car after being tipped off to the vehicle upon reviewing a picture of his Volkswagen Passat spotted at an intersection in Washington, D.C. Once feds got inside Sauer’s car and bag, they found tactical gear, Sabre Red-brand pepper spray as well as Frontiersman-brand bear spray.
There was also a box of Sauer’s business cards featuring his moniker within the far-right Western chauvinist association: “Proud Roni.”
Search photograph from SAUER’s residence. Items circled in red were found in a backpack: 1.) CNY Proud Boys business cards — “Proud Roni” 2.) Sabre Red Pepper Spray canister, and 3.) Frontiersman bear spray canister. Courtesy U.S. Justice Department.
The FBI said it found a Fred Perry polo shirt with the group’s ubiquitous black and yellow color scheme, too. After searching his car, FBI agents went to Sauer’s home the same day and, with a warrant, searched the residence, where they found personal devices, including a cellphone containing photos and other footage shot from the day of the attack on the Capitol.
Some of that footage featured Sauer sporting gear like a CamelBak Thermobak hydration tote he had purchased on eBay around Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, 2021. Federal agents said it didn’t take much for them to make the connection to Sauer once they had obtained warrants and compared the receipts against the photos. They also identified Sauer’s hat and neck gaiter this way.
Court records show Sauer purchased a pair of “cut resistant gloves” after searching for “Kevlar gloves” on Amazon. From Nov. 15, 2020 to Jan. 5, 2021, the Proud Boy’s web history was littered with searches, including terms such as: “oathkeeper january 6,” “where does congress meet,” “proud boy tenets,” and “know your unconventional warfare campaign principles.”
He also looked for bulletproof vests and searched for a hotel, the J.W. Marriott in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 2, 2021. Footage from the hotel later obtained by authorities appears to show Sauer walking in a group with Pezzola and others, including Pepe.
Aaron Sauer appears highlighted by a red circle in Justice Department exhibits underlying his criminal indictment in Washington, D.C. Also in red and marked with “3” on left in exhibit is Proud Boy Dominic Pezzola, acquitted of the top-most charge of sedition at trial although his co-defendants including Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio were convicted of that and other crimes./Center: Exhibit shows identifying clothing prosecutors say they used to track down Aaron Sauer in the mob on Jan. 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol.
On Jan. 6, Sauer is accused of assaulting police, and in photo exhibits accompanying his indictment, they allege he used chemical spray to carry out his attack. Prosecutors also say the bulletproof vests he searched for and then purchased online weeks earlier were used by the FBI to identify him rioting on the Capitol’s Lower West Terrace.
Text messages found on his phone chronicled his conduct and seemingly his moods before, during and after the attack.
During the thick of the violence, for instance, he sent a text, “Only getting started” and “We took the capitol.” That evening, he wrote someone: “This is beyond civil. Cops are gonna have to make a call soon. Us or them.”
At 7:48 p.m. on Jan. 6, in another message, he wrote: “I’m good. Lots of action. Front lines bro.”
Proud Boy Aaron Sauer is circled in red in a Justice Department exhibit depicting allegedly spraying or preparing to spray a chemical irritant at officers defending the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Courtesy U.S. Justice Department.
Photos provided in his criminal indictment purportedly show Sauer spraying a chemical agent as well as kicking, pushing and knocking down a fixed black metal fence that was bolted into the ground. He also allegedly removed metal bike rack barricades and “stacked them,” his indictment claims.
When a person identified in court records as “Witness 2” saw pictures of Sauer pepper-spraying police at the Capitol, he readily identified him, the FBI said.
Sauer faces nine charges, including destruction of government property, causing a civil disorder, an act of physical violence on Capitol grounds and more. It is not yet clear if he has retained an attorney.
