ABC News reported that many retired US soldiers are appearing in alarming numbers on wanted posters and in legal documents, as federal agents continue to search and arrest cases related to the riots at the Capitol on January 6.
So far, at least nine of those arrested for rioting have been confirmed to be former US military service members, ABC News confirmed through court records, lawyer statements and military records.
However, the actual figure may be higher. FBI Director Chris Wray said on January 14 that the agency had made more than 100 arrests related to riots, and that more were expected.
According to the Department of Justice, among the former soldiers arrested after the January 6 attack was Doc Rendell Brock from Texas, who broke into the Capitol Palace with Eric Gavelek Munchel, in Tennessee. Both wore military uniforms and military equipment, and were among the first to be arrested by the FBI.
The US Air Force has confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Brock retired in 2014 after more than two decades in the military, he was an A-10 pilot until 2007.
According to the security agency, Brock was released on January 14.
The arrest file also recorded another case, David Lester Ross, a former member of the Massachusetts National Guard, who was arrested on January 6 near the Capitol for "not complying with at least three warnings" from officers demanding a disbandment. Ross pleaded not guilty and was released, but was asked to stay away from the Washington D.C. area.
On January 15, ABC News confirmed that the man featured in the video breaking the windows of the Capitol building was a former marine named Dominic Pezzola. He served 7 years in the Navy and won a medal. Pezzola was arrested by the FBI on the morning of January 15.
Earlier this week, the FBI also questioned a former Navy SEAL soldier - Adam Newbold, 45, from Lisbon, Ohio - after he showed off his space in a Facebook video about "broke into the Capitol".
Adam Newbold, in an interview with the press, asked for forgiveness for attending the event on January 6, saying: ''I'm not a terrorist. I am not a traitor''.
In their oath of office, US military soldiers and officers swore to "support and protect the US Constitution against all enemies, both at home and abroad".
Since last week, there have been growing calls for discipline against former soldiers involved in the riots in the US Congress on January 6.
On January 11, Senator Tammy Duckworth sent a letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller asking the Department of Defense's criminal investigation organizations to work with the FBI and Capitol Police to investigate retired military personnel involved in the riots. In the letter, she called on Miller to " take appropriate action to hold individuals accountable under the unified Law of Military Justice".
However, in court, the former soldiers cited their military records as hoping for a special consideration from the court or a pardon from President Donald Trump.
