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Gallatin man accepts plea deal for role in U.S. Capitol riots

Jack Jesse Griffith was arrested by the FBI on Jan. 16, 10 days after the Capitol riot, in Gallatin.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Gallatin man arrested for his involvement in the U.S. Capitol riot in January has accepted a plea deal.

According to court documents, Jack Jesse Griffith, also known online as Juan Bibano, has waived his right to a trial by jury and will plead guilty to a charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of six months of imprisonment, a fine of not more than $5,000, and an obligation to pay any applicable interest or penalties on fines and restitution not timely made.

In consideration of Griffith’s guilty plea, he will not face any other charges.

According to the plea agreement, Griffith will allow law enforcement agents to have copies of any social media accounts, postings, videos, or photos he still has access to and be willing to allow law enforcement to interview him regarding the events prior to entry of a guilty plea.

He will also be required to pay $500 as restitution to the Department of Treasury to help pay for the approximate $1.5 million damage to the U.S. Capitol.

Griffin was arrested by the FBI on Jan. 16, 10 days after the Capitol riot, in Gallatin.

Arrest documents said FBI agents identified Griffith in a video posted on Matthew Bledsoe’s social media account. Bledsoe was also arrested for his role in the riot.

In the video, Bledsoe and Griffith are in a crowd outside the Capitol. An alarm is going off in the background and Griffith reportedly screamed in excitement after another person yelled, “We’re going in!”

According to court documents, Griffith posted on social media saying, “I even helped stormed (sic) the capitol today, but it only made things worse.”

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A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed a man was arrested in connection to the U.S. Capitol riots on Sunday morning.

The U.S. Attorney said FBI agents arrested Blake A. Reed on charges related to the riots. Reed was arrested in the Wedgewood-Houston community. Nashville NBC affiliate News4 was there as FBI agents took him out of the home and into custody.

Reed has been charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with Knowingly Entering or Remaining in any Restricted Building or Grounds Without Lawful Authority and Violent Entry and Disorderly Conduct on Capitol Grounds. He will appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge on Tuesday in Nashville.

Neighbors said they heard the FBI announce themselves around 6 a.m. when they arrived at the home.

“I looked out the window and saw flashing lights and folks in assault-style military gear,” neighbor Brice McCloud said. “The guy who lives there has always been super friendly to us.”

According to court documents, Reed was pictured with Matthew Bledsoe, who was arrested on Wednesday on similar charges in Memphis on Thursday.

Reed was pictured wearing a lowered gray respirator with purple and yellow tape bands around the filter cartridges where they meet the main part of the mask. He also has a distinctive pair of ski goggles with multi-colored glass on his upper forehead.

Reed also posted on his Facebook account a series of photos of the events leading up to the breach of the Capitol. Prominently featured in the upper left-hand corner photograph is a man in a distinctive pair of ski goggles with multi-colored glass on the upper portion of his face and a gray respirator with purple and yellow tape bands around the filter cartridges where they meet the main part of the mask on the lower portion of his face. This unusual outfit choice matches the attire of the man smiling alongside Mr. Bledsoe inside the Capitol. The Blake Austin Reed Facebook account screenshot includes the words, “We The People have spoken and we are pissed! No antifa, no BLM… We The People took the Capitol!”

Law enforcement was able to find LinkedIn profiles for Reed and Bledsoe showing they attended Germantown High School from 2000-02.

This makes the fifth person arrested from Tennessee in connection to the Capitol riot. The first arrest for riots at the U.S. Capitol was 30-year-old Eric Munchel of Nashville.

Munchel was seen in pictures wearing tactical gear and holding a handful of zip ties. He was referred to on social media as the 'Zip Tie Guy.' Munchel, who has no prior charges in the state of Tennessee, is expected to face a judge virtually on Tuesday for a detention hearing.

Munchel's mother, 56-year-old Lisa Eisenhart, of Woodstock, GA, was taken into custody in Nashville by FBI Agents on January 16.

Two individuals appeared in photos to be Munchel and his mother, Eisenhart, roaming through the U.S. Capitol.

Gallatin resident Jack Jesse Griffith, known online as 'Juan Bibiano,' was the third Tennessean arrested for riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Arrest papers say FBI Agents identified Griffith in a video posted on Matthew Bledsoe's social media. Bledsoe, from Memphis, was arrested on Friday for his involvement in the riot.

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