Two Delaware County men including a former Chester firefighter are scheduled for court hearings this month for their alleged roles in the riot and insurrection that temporarily halted the 2020 presidential election certification one year ago today.
FBI photo
Retired Chester Fire Department firefighter Robert Sanford is seen in this still from a video taken at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. His “CFD” or Chester Fire Department cap was a major clue that led to his arrest.
Robert Sanford, 55, of Boothwyn, is scheduled for a Zoom status conference before U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman Jan. 13 on charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers engaged in the performance of official duties, knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disorderly or disruptive conduct on Capitol grounds and civil disorder.
Richard Michetti, of Ridley Park, is also scheduled for a video conference before U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper Jan. 19. He is facing charges of obstructing Congress, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building grounds without lawful activity, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
A third Delco defendant, Brian Healion, 31, of Upper Darby, is scheduled for a Feb. 17 status hearing before Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather. Healion is charged with unlawful entry on restricted buildings and grounds, as well as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.
Healion does not have an attorney listed on the federal court docket and attorneys for the other two men did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday. All three have pleaded “not guilty” to all charges and have been released on their own recognizance with certain restrictions, according to court documents, including prohibitions against owning firearms.
Former President Donald Trump and others pushed a narrative of fraudulent voting in the election for months leading up to the Jan. 6 insurrection that left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer. Trump was acquitted on a single impeachment charge for inciting an insurrection through comments he made to a group prior to the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In those comments, he continually refers to the election result as a “fraud” or “steal.”
Trump and allies also filed dozens of lawsuits in state and federal courts looking to overturn results that went for Democrat Joe Biden. None of those suits prevailed, save for a Pennsylvania ruling affecting a small number of voters who were not allowed to “cure” their ballots. Investigations of the election carried out by numerous agencies including the U.S. Attorney General’s Office have found no credible allegations of fraud that would have changed the outcome of the election.
Sanford was a member of the Chester Fire Department from January 1994 until his retirement in February 2020, according to a prior statement from Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland. The Chester Firefighters IAFF Local 1400 also issued a statement that it “unequivocally condemn(s) these acts of violence.”
A criminal complaint filed in Sanford’s case last year by FBI Special Agent Samad D. Shahrani shows still shots from a video that authorities say are of Sanford wearing a Chester Fire Department hat and throwing what appears to be a fire extinguisher at a group of police officers.
“The object appears to strike one officer, who was wearing a helmet, in the head,” according to the complaint. “The object then ricochets and strikes another officer, who was not wearing a helmet, in the head. The object then ricochets a third time and strikes a third officer, wearing a helmet, in the head. Immediately after throwing the object, (Sanford) moves quickly in the opposite direction.”
One of the officers reported feeling a “hard strike” to the back of his helmet and saw a fire extinguisher on the ground, but could not tell who had struck him, according to the complaint. He was evaluated at a local hospital and returned to duty, the complaint says.
Sanford was identified after federal authorities received a tip on Jan. 12. The tipster indicated that Sanford was a longtime friend and had told them he was the person the FBI was looking for.
The tipster identified Sanford from a video still image and provided a recorded statement to FBI special agents that Sanford acknowledged travelled to Washington, D.C. on a bus with a group of people.
“The group had gone to the White House and listened to President Donald J. Trump’s speech and then had followed the President’s instructions and gone to the Capitol,” the complaint says.
Sanford allegedly told the person he was on the Capitol grounds for about 10 minutes before “they” left, but did not elaborate on who “they” were and did not mention having thrown any objects, according to the complaint.
Michetti was also identified after the FBI received a tip from an ex-girlfriend, according to an affidavit of probable cause for his arrest written by FBI Special Agent Christopher J. Dillon. Michetti allegedly sent his ex-girlfriend texts during the attack on the Capitol claiming the election was “rigged.”
“If you can’t see the election was stolen you’re a moron,” Michetti allegedly told the woman in texts she provided to the FBI. “This is our country do you think we live like kings because no one sacrificed anything?”
At approximately 2:06 p.m., Michetti sent a text saying, “…it’s going down here we stormed the building they held us back with spray and teargas and paintballs,” according to the criminal complaint, and says “thousands of people storming.”
Michetti additionally sent two videos to his ex that depicted rioters inside the Capitol building, some carrying signs and yelling, as well as a similar video that appeared to have been recorded by someone else, the complaint says.
“We gotta stop the vote it’s a fraud this is our country,” Michetti says in one text. He also refers to the mob as “patriots” that want an investigation into the election.
“This is tyranny they say there and told us ‘we rigged the election and there’s nuthin you can do about it’ what do you think should be done?” Michetti says in one exchange about 6:04 p.m., according to the complaint.
Healion was charged last month with two other Philadelphia men, Isaiah Giddings and Freedom Vy. All three are identified in a complaint and affidavit penned by FBI Special Agent Nicole Miller as members of the “Proud Boys,” a right-wing group that has previously been implicated in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
That complaint says that Zachary Rehl, the president of the Philadelphia chapter of the Proud Boys, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack in March. He is being charged separately with conspiracy to defraud the United States, tampering with a witness, victim or informant, obstructing law enforcement during civil disorder, destruction of government property, entering and remaining in a restricted building and grounds, and disorderly conduct in a restricted building or grounds.
Investigators searched the contents of Rehl’s phone and found a group message chain that included Vy, Healion and Giddings, according to the complaint, as well as a group message with all three defendants on the instant messaging service Telegram.
The messages appear to coordinate travel to the Capital on Jan. 5, and records from the Darcy Hotel in Washington, D.C. indicate Rehl checked in with three guests identified as Healion, Giddings and “Joseph Yeng,” a likely alias for Vy, the complaint says.
The affidavit includes numerous photographs of the defendants allegedly inside and just outside the Capitol Building over the course of the attack on Jan. 6. One image shows Rehl and the three defendants on the Upper West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol, another is from the west side of the building near the U.S. Senate – which Rehl allegedly posted in the Telegram message with the caption, “Badass pic in DC” – and a third picture shows the four men inside the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, which Healion allegedly texted to Rehl, according to the complaint.
In almost every picture, the defendants are seen flashing the “OK” symbol of a circle made with index finger and thumb touching, with the other three fingers extended. This symbol has been co-opted in recent years by hate groups and white supremacists.
Federal prosecutors have so far charged more than 700 people in the riot, including 62 from Pennsylvania. More than 150 have pleaded guilty for their roles in the insurrection.
The FBI continues to review thousands of hours of footage from the attack and is still making arrests. Any relevant information on individuals who may have been involved can be submitted to fbi.gov/USCapitol, or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324).