AUSTIN, Texas – A man who authorities believe is a real estate agent in Austin is accused of federal crimes related to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riots in Washington D.C., according to court documents filed Monday.
According to the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the FBI said a man named Joseph Cable Barnes was seen in camera footage shared by a London-based news outlet called ITV News while he was participating in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The incident left five people dead, including U.S. Capitol police Officer Brian Sicknick, and more than a hundred officers injured.
At least three witnesses have identified Barnes as the man in the footage, according to the criminal complaint. In the video, authorities said Barnes can be heard saying, “This is our house. This is our country. This is our country.”
One of the witnesses said they had gone to school with Barnes at Anderson High School in Northwest Austin. Another said they had visited him multiple times in his Austin residence.
Barnes is listed as a vice president of the Austin branch of a real estate company called Jones Lang LaSalle, or JLL, on the firm's website, and is described as an Austin-area real estate agent in the indictment. A Google search showed that the company, which has an international presence, has an office location on Fifth Street in downtown Austin.
The American-Statesman tried reaching out to Barnes late Thursday through a phone number listed on the JLL website, but did not immediately receive a response.
According to a database on the Texas Real Estate Commission website, Barnes has an active license in the state, which is scheduled to expire at the end of April.
Barnes is also believed to have an art business, court documents stated, pointing to a website by the name of joebarnesart.com. A Facebook post on a page associated with the same website showed a September post showing a "Come and Take It" flag, accompanied by a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
"I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical," the quote on the post read.
Authorities said they also found on the Facebook page a 2017 photo of Barnes holding a assault-style rifle in front of what appeared to be one of his paintings.
Barnes is facing multiple charges related to his actions during the riot, including obstruction of Congress, unlawfully entering restricted building or grounds, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court documents.
More than a dozen Texans have been accused of taking part in the Jan. 6 riot, which spurred the second impeachment of Donald Trump.
