A conservative actor and GOP official has reportedly been arrested and charged in connection with his alleged involvement in the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Siaka Massaquoi, who is first vice-chair of the Republican Party of Los Angeles, was charged with misdemeanors including trespassing, parading and disorderly conduct, according to Red State, a conservative political blog where Massaquoi is a columnist.
Massaquoi and his wife were returning home from a movie premiere in Nashville when the FBI arrested him at the airport on Thursday night, according to a GiveSendGo account set up to raise money for his legal defense.
"Upon their arrival, Siaka was separated from his wife and abruptly arrested by the FBI," a post on the page states.
"At the same time, Charlotte [his wife] was told the charges had to do with January 6th; however, she was not presented with any arrest warrant. Siaka was taken to Monterey Park Jail where he stayed overnight and was told that he was being charged for four misdemeanors pertaining to his presence outside of the Capital Building in Washington, D.C. on January 6th."
The FBI declined to comment. Newsweek has contacted Massaquoi and the Republican Party of Los Angeles for comment via email.
Massaquoi's home in Los Angeles was raided by FBI agents in June 2021, but no arrests were made at the time. "I did nothing wrong on the 6th," he said after the raid.
Videos that were shared on social media showed Massaquoi inside the Capitol on January 6, 2021, when supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the building in a bid to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.
Massaquoi appears in Lady Ballers, a controversial new film mocking transgender women in sports. The actor, whose other roles have included small parts on shows including NCIS: Los Angeles and S.W.A.T., spoke about being in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, on a podcast last month.
"I went to DC on January 6. What I saw and experienced, of course, wasn't anything like what they said on MSNBC," he said on Enough Talk with Alex Balekian.
"I remember that day, right, putting a live out going they're gonna lie to you, say it's this, that and the other, but it's not. It was peaceful... We did the national anthem, ran into friends."
He addressed the FBI raid on his home, saying that agents "came in, guns drawn... pointed it at me, my roommates, my godsons, three and six at the time."
He added that he was not dressed in anticipation of violence. "No one has a picture of me wearing any type of body protection," he said. "I'm wearing T-shirts and jeans and a hat telling people to run for local office. That's why you're in my house like this?"
That incident motivated him to run for office himself.
"That p***** me off so much. I was like, 'Well, I gotta do more.' How can I tell people to run if I'm not going to be willing to run right? So I sort of threw my name in the hat in 2022."
He ran for election to the California State Assembly to represent District 43 last year, but lost to Democrat Luz Rivas.
Updated 12/4/23, 8:39 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Khaleda Rahman is Newsweek's Senior News Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on abortion rights, race, education, ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
